A Whole Other Perspective
by musicgal3
Summary: Stuck together for almost two weeks, it seems impossible for both of them to survive. But then something changes, and suddenly, things don't seem quite so bad... Shiz-era, AU, Fiyeraba.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Hello, my lovelies! Yes, indeedy I have a new story for you! I've been working on this since last year, and I was so close to finishing it at the beginning of the year, but then I launched into uni and that was that. However, I pulled it out again the other night and finally managed to finish it.  
**

**For those people whose stories I was reading and then suddenly I wasn't...I'm really sorry. Uni was so busy last term, and I think will be again this term, so I probably won't be back full-swing until November. I know, that's ages away. I'm sorry.**

**Finally, thankyou to vinkunwildflowerqueen for helping me to come up with a title. I really appreciate it.**

* * *

**A Whole Other Perspective  
**

**PROLOGUE:**

"No way!" the two students screeched simultaneously.

"You can't expect me to do this with _him_!"

"You can't expect _me_ to do this _at all_!"

Madame Morrible glowered upon the two, clearly unimpressed. "You both will do as I say."

"But Madame," Elphaba Thropp protested, "surely, for the good of the university, it would be better to send someone else? Someone, for instance, like Boq Riddle?"

Madame Morrible frowned. "Who?"

"Boq Riddle. The Munchkin boy."

"Oh, the one who is always attending to our dear Nessarose?"

Elphaba nodded in confirmation. "That's the one."

"No."

"But surely you can't risk –"

"I am sending Master Tiggular along to this exhibition purely because his status as Prince of the Vinkus will be a good advertisement for our university."

Elphaba scoffed, but made no comment. Afterall, she did not want to get on Madame Morrible's bad side.

Madame Morrible continued, "You will do all the speaking, Miss Thropp. I expect nothing of Master Tiggular except to accompany you to the exhibition."

"Well, I'm not going." Fiyero Tiggular crossed his arms.

"I beg to differ, Master Tiggular; you _will_ be going and you _will_ accompany Miss Thropp. I know I can trust the two of you together. Miss Thropp, I will ask you to write a speech using these points" – Madame Morrible handed Elphaba a piece of paper covered in dot-points – "and show it to me before you leave."

"But Madame –"

Madame Morrible held up her hand to stem the flow of Fiyero's protests. "No 'buts', Master Tiggular. You know what I am asking of you; there will be no arguments and no exceptions. You will leave on Monday. Understood? Good. You are dismissed."


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1:**

"Now, are you sure you'll be alright while I'm gone, Nessa?" Elphaba asked worriedly.

"Yes, Fabala, I'll be _fine_," Nessarose Thropp told her for the umpteenth time in exasperation. "You go to that exhibition and do the university proud."

Elphaba snorted. "I'll do my best for Madame Morrible," she replied. "You take care of yourself, Nessie, you hear?"

Nessarose smiled gently at her sister and squeezed her hands. "I will, Fabala. I've got Boq, anyway, and Galinda has offered to keep me company while you're gone. I believe she mentioned something about shopping and make-overs –"

"Surprise, surprise," Elphaba broke in with a fond grin.

"– and of course Madame Morrible will be there."

Elphaba grimaced. "I know, Nessa. I just get worried, that's all."

"I know. But I'll be fine. You worry about yourself, now," Nessarose said with a slight laugh, "and how you're going to handle that rascal of a prince."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Hopefully, I won't have to." She looked up gratefully as a coachman placed her suitcase on the luggage rack, before turning her attention back to Nessarose. "Well, I guess this is it. I'll see you in about a fortnight," Elphaba said as she stooped to hug her sister.

"Have a safe journey, Fabala," Nessarose told her, returning the hug.

Elphaba watched as Nessarose wheeled herself away before returning her attention to the carriage. She was about to get in when she realized Fiyero had not yet arrived. She glanced up at the university clock tower. Two minutes to nine. Typical. He was going to be late. She just knew it. Anything for a grand entrance – even when there was no point in it.

Three minutes later, Fiyero appeared.

"Get a move on, Tiggular," Elphaba snarled.

Fiyero smirked. "Can't wait to be alone with me, eh, Thropp?"

Elphaba's scowl deepened. "I'd rather be left alone with Galinda's airheaded friends than spend time alone with _you_," she said coldly.

Fiyero's smirk widened. "You shock me. I had no idea you swung that way, Thropp."

Elphaba's eyes narrowed and she pointed to the carriage. "In," she commanded in a dangerous growl.

Fiyero complied, slinging his suitcase inside before flinging himself after it, flopping onto the bench and immediately sprawling out.

"Your luggage is supposed to go on the roof," Elphaba informed him through gritted teeth, only to find a suitcase being shoved in her face, causing her to stumble backwards. Elphaba briefly considered attempting to hoist the suitcase onto the luggage rack, before angrily deciding against it. Instead, she dumped the suitcase on the ground and climbed into the carriage. However, her progress was halted by Fiyero's lanky form. "Move," Elphaba commanded in a brusque voice.

Fiyero cracked open one eye. "No." He closed his eye once again.

Elphaba shoved Fiyero's legs aside and clambered over to the other seat, sitting down in the opposite corner. Opening her messenger bag, Elphaba pulled out a book and began to read.

"Did you put my luggage up?" Fiyero asked in a bored tone of voice as the carriage began to move off.

"No."

Fiyero's eyes flew open and he stared at her in alarm. "What?" he cried. "What did you do with it?"

"I left it on the ground," was Elphaba's calm reply.

"But –"

"It's okay," Elphaba interrupted, "one of the coachmen put it on top."

Fiyero heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank Oz for that."

Elphaba pulled her nose out of her book just long enough to give him a disapproving glance. "You should thank the coachman for that."

Fiyero shrugged and closed his eyes once more. "Yeah, whatever."

Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"So, where are we going, anyway?"

Elphaba put down her book in disbelief. "Did you not listen to _anything_ Madame Morrible told us?"

Fiyero shrugged. "What can I say? The woman is a bore. She drones on and on and on…"

Elphaba sighed. "We are going to the Emerald City where we will be attending an exhibition of tertiary institutions. At the exhibition, two representatives of each institution will be present, one of whom will speak about their institution, so that students who are looking at going on to tertiary education can make an informed decision regarding which university would best suit their needs."

"So what are you going to talk about?"

"I have to talk about what the university offers, what sort of programs we have, which programs we are looking at implementing and any future developments, _et cetera_. And, yes, Madame Morrible has approved my speech. Satisfied?"

Fiyero grunted.

"Well, you did ask," Elphaba huffed, picking up her book again.

"True," Fiyero conceded, before muttering, "Don't know why I bothered."

"Neither do I," Elphaba threw back.

The carriage once again lapsed into silence.

That was until Fiyero started snoring.

Elphaba stretched out her leg and kicked Fiyero hard in the shin, jolting him awake.

"Hey, what was that for?" he complained, clutching at his wounded limb.

"You were snoring."

"Yeah, so?"

"I can't concentrate when you're snoring."

"Did you try?"

Elphaba scowled at him. "I shouldn't have to."

"But did you?" Fiyero pressed.

"Yes."

"Then try harder."

Elphaba turned away from him. "Why did we get stuck together?" she asked of the ceiling.

Fiyero flashed her a smug grin. "Because I need to get away from school and you need to loosen up."

"Or maybe Madame Morrible wanted to torture me," Elphaba moaned.

"Hey, you think this is any fun for me?" Fiyero asked. "I'd rather get out of school with anyone other than you."

"What a surprise," Elphaba retorted sarcastically.

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "Go back to your reading."

Throwing him one last glare, Elphaba did just that, though she kept waiting for the next interruption.

Just as the plot reached its climax, the interruption came.

"So when is this exhibition thing?"

Elphaba sighed irritably and slammed her book shut. "It starts on Friday."

"Until…?"

"All day Friday, all day Saturday plus Saturday evening, Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning and Tuesday evening. We leave to return to Shiz on Wednesday morning," Elphaba informed him.

Fiyero stared at her. "All that time just to say how good our school is?"

"No, Tiggular," Elphaba barked in frustration, "the exhibition entails much more than that. There are going to be stands for each institution where students can see what the university offers – we will be handing out pamphlets, giving students information, answering their questions, and so on; there will be a seminar in which we will learn about the most recent developments in all manner of educational programs and devices; there will be a meet-and-greet; and there will be a student representative dinner."

Fiyero whistled. "Sounds pretty full-on. How come you never mentioned any of this before?"

"I was trying to keep it simple for you," was Elphaba's dry reply.

"Aw, I feel loved," Fiyero said facetiously.

"I think your feeling censor is out of whack. It's detecting the wrong end of the scale."

"And I suppose I have to be there for everything?" Fiyero asked, conveniently ignoring Elphaba's remark in favour of switching back to the topic.

Elphaba's only reply was a glare.

"Just thought I'd check. I guess that means I'll have to figure out what to wear."

Elphaba looked at Fiyero as though he were crazy. "What do you mean? You'll be wearing your formal uniform. You _did_ bring your formal uniform, didn't you?"

"Oh, is that what that was for? I wondered what Horrible Morrible was on about."

"So did you bring it?"

Fiyero shrugged. "Not sure. It _might_ be in my suitcase…or it might be in my wardrobe."

Elphaba felt like shaking the boy to his senses, but refrained. _He probably hasn't _got_ any senses to be shaken to_, she concluded. Instead, she settled for growling, "It had better be in that suitcase."

"Eh, I'll check tonight. Which brings me to another point: where will we be staying?"

Elphaba dug her information and itinerary sheet out of her bag and thrust it into Fiyero's hands. "Here, read it for yourself. Oh, wait, I forgot: you can't read," she hissed sarcastically.

Fiyero narrowed his eyes. "I can probably read better than you, Thropp," he challenged.

Elphaba snorted. "Then why do you never do it?"

"Unlike some people," Fiyero said breezily, "I don't need to practice."

Elphaba snorted again, rolling her eyes for good measure. "Yeah, right, keep telling yourself that."

"Why don't we have a little competition, then," Fiyero suggested slyly, "since you obviously don't believe me."

Elphaba cocked her head to the side, slightly curious. "What sort of competition?"

"I assume you have a couple of spare books in there," Fiyero said, nodding towards Elphaba's bag.

"Yes…"

"Have you read them before?"

Elphaba shook her head.

"Perfect. How about you take one and I take one, and we'll see how far we can get in an hour. How's that?"

Elphaba smirked. "You're on." She extracted two thick books from her bag and handed Fiyero the dullest-looking one. Not that _she_ considered it to be dull, but she knew Fiyero would.

"Thank-_you_," Fiyero said, whisking the other book from her grasp and flashing her a cheeky grin.

Elphaba rolled her eyes.

Fiyero glanced down at his watch. "Okay, one hour, right? Time starts…now."

For the next hour, all was silent in the carriage. The fourth time Fiyero looked at his watch, he announced that time was up. "Okay, how far did you get?"

"I'm on page one hundred and eighty-three."

Fiyero grinned, but didn't say anything.

"Well?" Elphaba demanded.

"One hundred and eighty-four," he crowed triumphantly.

"I don't believe you."

"See for yourself."

Elphaba looked and, sure enough, he was on page one hundred and eighty-four. She looked up at him in disbelief. "Did you actually _read_ any of it?"

Fiyero pretended to be affronted. "Of course I did!"

"Tell me what it's about."

That, Fiyero did – in detail.

Elphaba scowled.

"So where are we staying?"

Elphaba continued to stare at Fiyero in stony silence.

"Okay, different question: who's paying?"

"The university is. We don't have to spend a dime."

Fiyero grinned and put his hands behind his head. "Great."

"Says the multi-millionaire," Elphaba muttered, turning back to the book she had been reading initially.

"Says the _lazy_ multi-millionaire," Fiyero corrected, his grin widening into a smirk.

Elphaba ignored him for the rest of that day until the carriage pulled up in front of a tiny inn on the outskirts of a small town.

As Elphaba stood, Fiyero jolted awake. Cautiously opening his eyes and peering out of the window, he said, "I take it this is our stop for the night?"

Elphaba merely gave him a pointed look.

"Right." Fiyero yawned and stretched, purposefully taking his time in doing so and making a big show of it all in the process, to Elphaba's growing irritation.

Fiyero sensed this and took full advantage of it until Elphaba finally snapped at him, "Get on with it!"

Fiyero eventually scrambled out of the carriage, Elphaba just about tripping over his heels in her eagerness to get into the inn. In doing so, Elphaba stumbled slightly, swaying into Fiyero, who caught her with a grin.

"Falling all over me, huh?" he smirked.

Elphaba righted herself and glowered at him. "Full of it, aren't you, Tiggular?"

"Yep," Fiyero agreed cheerfully, "full of charm and personality." He winked flirtatiously. "That's why you love me."

Elphaba grimaced and made a gagging sound, before turning her attention back to the luggage one of the coachmen had fetched down from the luggage rack. Picking up her suitcase, she turned to go inside. However, Fiyero's voice stopped her.

"Hey, isn't that _my_ suitcase?"

Elphaba looked at him incredulously. "No," she replied evenly, pointing at the other suitcase, "_that_ is your suitcase."

Fiyero frowned. "Are you sure? I mean, they look exactly the same."

Elphaba let out a snort of laughter. "They do not. They are different. Oz, Tiggular, can't you even recognize your own belongings?"

Fiyero shrugged. "Not if it's the same as somebody else's. Shouldn't we open them and check?"

"Fiyero," Elphaba replied with exaggerated patience, "my suitcase does not have a gold leaf imprint of the royal monogram of Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus on the top. This is _definitely_ my suitcase."

Fiyero looked sheepish. "Oh."

"Damn straight 'oh'," Elphaba shot back, stomping into the inn.

Fiyero followed, leaving his suitcase to be carried inside by one of the coachmen. He approached Elphaba – who was standing at the front desk – arriving just in time to hear her ask for two single rooms and two rooms in the coachmen's quarters. As the desk clerk shuffled off to find the appropriate door keys, Fiyero painted a fake hurt look on his face. "What, don't feel like sharing with me tonight? Was it something I said?"

Elphaba shot him a death glare, before turning her attention back to the desk clerk.

Fiyero, not expecting a verbal response, was taken aback when one came.

"More like something you did."

His heartbeat sped up. What, was she saying she _would_ have otherwise considered sharing a room with him? He frowned. "And what was that, then?"

At that moment, the desk clerk returned and handed four keys to Elphaba, who thanked him, ignoring the odd looks he was throwing her. It was only as Elphaba made for the stairs that Fiyero got his answer: "You were born."


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2:**

The next morning, Elphaba rose with the sun, showered, dressed and shoved what she had taken out back into her suitcase. At seven-thirty sharp, she rapped on the door to Fiyero's room.

There was no reply.

In fact, there was no reply to an entire five minutes' worth of rapping on that door.

Finally, after a particularly loud knock, Fiyero's sleepy voice floated through the door. "Who is it?"

"Please don't tell me you're still in bed, Tiggular," Elphaba said through gritted teeth, ignoring his question.

The moment of hesitation was all the answer Elphaba needed.

"You'd better get up, get ready and get your arse down there within the next ten minutes, or I might just conveniently forget I ever had a travelling companion."

Fiyero's tone was smug yet jesting as he asked, "Would you like the rest of me down there, too, or do you just have a thing for my arse?"

Elphaba's eyes narrowed dangerously at the door as if she could see through it. "If you don't get down there, I'll have a _spell_ for your arse," she hissed. "And trust me – it won't be a pleasant one."

She could practically _hear_ Fiyero's grimace, and, with a smirk of satisfaction, she stormed off downstairs.

Ten minutes later, Fiyero was indeed downstairs and having breakfast with Elphaba. Well, not so much _with_ her as _near_ her. If sitting on the opposite side of the room could be classed as being _'near'_. Fiyero kept glancing at her tentatively, whilst Elphaba resolutely stared at her plate in stony silence.

By the time eight o'clock rolled around, the pair was seated inside the carriage once more, their luggage securely tied to the luggage rack, the carriage itself pulling away from the little inn.

The day's journey was passed in much the same fashion as the day before – with Elphaba reading and Fiyero sleeping – until about one-thirty that afternoon, when the carriage was drawn to an unexpected halt.

Elphaba frowned, looked up from her book, and immediately poked her head out of the window in an attempt to discover what was going on. She couldn't see or hear anything, much to her chagrin, but she didn't have to wait long to find out what had happened, as, at that moment, one of the coachmen appeared at the door beside the slumbering form of Fiyero. "What's wrong?" Elphaba questioned him eagerly.

"I'm sorry, miss," the coachman said apologetically, "but it looks like it's been snowing pretty heavily here, for there is a deep snowdrift blocking the road. I'm afraid we can't, at the moment, go any further."

Fiyero chose that moment to awaken from his nap. With a yawn and a stretch that nearly knocked out the poor coachman, he enquired sleepily, "What's going on?"

"There's a snowdrift and we can't go any further." Elphaba hesitated for a moment, before asking the coachman, "We just passed a public telephone box, did we not?"

"Well, yes," the coachman confirmed, "but that was a good two mile back, miss."

Ignoring his last words, Elphaba scrambled out of the carriage, roughly telling Fiyero over her shoulder to "come on".

Fiyero's eyes snapped to hers. "Where are we going?"

"To call Madame Morrible," was Elphaba's tossed-out reply, "and explain our situation in case we're late to the exhibition."

Frowning, Fiyero exited the carriage and caught up with Elphaba. "You're not proposing we walk _two miles_ in the freezing cold to a telephone box, are you?" he questioned her incredulously.

"Well, what else are we meant to do? Sit here and wait for Mehrphyu Trogba to come by towing the Ozian Queen and ask him for help?"

Fiyero growled, knowing he had no good answer to that, and Elphaba smirked.

"That's what I thought." Turning her back on him abruptly, Elphaba began to trudge along the snow-covered gravel road in the direction from which they had come.

Throwing his hands in the air in frustration, Fiyero stormed after her. "This is not a good idea," he muttered as he strode along. "Any number of things could happen between here and the telephone box."

"Well, if you're so concerned, you don't have to come," Elphaba snapped.

"And let you wander off by yourself?" Fiyero snorted. "I think not."

Elphaba stopped and turned to glare at him, hands on her hips. "I am perfectly capable of looking out for myself and I don't need you or anyone else doing it for me!" By the end of the sentence, Elphaba's voice had risen to a shout and her face was hovering dangerously close to Fiyero's. Her eyes were blazing and she was breathing hard with anger.

Fiyero stared at her for a minute, quite taken aback at her sudden outburst. Finally, realizing she wasn't going to back down, he sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, turning back towards the road. "Come on."

Elphaba took a brief moment to glower at Fiyero's retreating back, before she stormed after him, a thunderous scowl etched on her features.

The two walked in silence for about half an hour before the desired telephone box finally came into view.

"I hope you have a nickel," Fiyero grumbled as they approached their destination.

Elphaba had the decency to blush at that. "Ummm…I was kind of hoping _you_ would."

Fiyero threw her an incredulous glance. "I thought Morrible gave you money to cover our costs?"

"She did, but she didn't give me any change!" Elphaba defended herself.

Fiyero stopped and stared at her, prompting Elphaba to pause in her trek as well. "You mean she didn't allow for telephone calls?"

"No, she didn't, alright?" Elphaba threw back at him, irritation clear in her voice.

Muttering curses under his breath, Fiyero began to dig through his pockets, before eventually extracting a nickel and holding it up. "You're lucky," he growled as he strode over to the telephone box and stepped inside.

Elphaba hurried to join him, cramming herself in between Fiyero and the telephone.

Receiver halfway to his ear, Fiyero turned to look at Elphaba, one eyebrow raised. "Yes?"

Fighting a blush, Elphaba covered it up by snapping, "I just want to make sure you do it right."

His expression morphing into one of amusement, he asked, "Do what right, exactly?"

"Just make the bloody call!"

With a roll of his eyes, Fiyero put the receiver to his ear and slid the nickel into the coin slot. It was then that he realized, however, that the phone was not working. With a loud groan, followed by another string of profanities, Fiyero slammed down the receiver and expelled a huge sigh, raking a hand through his hair and resting his head against the handset.

Elphaba frowned. "What is it?"

"The line's dead."

"Great. Just great." Elphaba squeezed out of the telephone box, slamming the door behind her, and began to stalk back to the carriage.

Grabbing the nickel from the coin return, Fiyero exited the telephone box in much the same fashion and hurried to catch up with Elphaba.

The two walked along in silence until they reached the carriage. Fiyero went around to the front to discuss the situation with the coachmen while Elphaba tried to come up with another plan. A few minutes later, Fiyero returned and began to pull their luggage down from the luggage rack.

Elphaba frowned. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"We," Fiyero replied, "are going to stay here while the coachmen seek help."

"What?!" Elphaba screeched. "What do you mean, 'stay here'? They'll be gone for hours; we can't stay _here_!"

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Thropp. We're not staying exactly _here_ 'here', but rather _there_ 'here'." He pointed through a few trees off to the side of the road.

Elphaba followed Fiyero's finger with her eyes and saw a small, run-down-looking cottage set a little bit back from the road. "In that cottage?"

Fiyero nodded.

"But what if they won't let us stay there?"

"Relax – one of the men went over there to seek help, but there was no-one there. It's unoccupied – and, judging by the state of it, has been for a long while." Fiyero handed Elphaba her suitcase and locked eyes with her. "Well? Are you coming?"

Elphaba hesitated for a moment before grumbling, "Fine, I'll come. I guess there's not much I can do at the moment, anyway. My last great brainwave didn't exactly work out."

Fiyero shot her an almost sympathetic glance. "You couldn't have known the lines would be out."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't make me feel any better. It was still my brilliant idea," she muttered sarcastically.

Fiyero sighed as they approached the cottage. "Look, at least we tried, right? So it didn't work out. Let's just focus on the here and now."

Elphaba bit her lip, processing his words, before nodding in agreement. "You're right."

"Wait, what?" Fiyero, almost dropping his suitcase, turned to face her in surprise. "I am?"

"Yes. We can't dwell on the past when we have more important things to worry about."

Fiyero whistled. "Wow. I never thought I'd see the day when Elphaba Thropp admitted that I was right and she was wrong."

"I'm not wrong!" Elphaba snapped. "And I never admitted anything. I just happened to agree with you on something. For, like, the only time _ever_."

Fiyero shrugged. "Same thing."

"It is not!" Elphaba hissed indignantly. "There is a whole _world_ of difference, and if you're too brainless to see it, then I'm not going to even bother spelling it out for you," she spat, before storming into the small cottage.

Fiyero thrust his arms skyward, letting out a strangled sound of frustration, before following Elphaba inside. When he saw no sign of her but her suitcase resting near the door, Fiyero frowned. "Elphaba?" There was no reply. "Elphaba?" he tried again, starting to become a little bit worried despite himself.

Just at that moment, Elphaba emerged from an adjoining room. "What is it, Tiggular?"

"I thought something must have happened to you. Where were you?"

"Checking out the facilities."

"Oh. Well?"

"The pump appears to be in good working order. There's a kettle and a wood stove with plenty of wood – enough to last through the night and maybe tomorrow morning; maybe even for a couple of days if we're economical." Elphaba darted into another room for a moment. When she returned, she announced, "Bathroom – there's a good-sized bathtub in there."

Fiyero smirked. "Is there, now?"

Elphaba let a low growl escape her throat. "Not another word," she warned him. She disappeared into what appeared to be a bedroom, leaving Fiyero to glance around the sitting room where he was standing.

The first thing he noticed was the lack of furniture. There was a dining table with two chairs off to the side near the doorway to the kitchen; other than that, however, the room was distinctly devoid of any other such comforts. "I wonder what's up with the scarce furnishings?"

"I don't know," Elphaba's voice floated towards him.

Fiyero theatrically put a hand across his heart. "You don't know? Elphaba Thropp admitted there's something she doesn't know?"

Ignoring him, Elphaba continued, "But there's nothing in here, either."

"You mean not even a bed?" Fiyero asked incredulously.

"Not even," Elphaba confirmed.

"Damn."

"Don't start your rubbish, Tiggular," Elphaba said, poking her head around the doorway to glare at him, "or I might just leave you here once we're able to travel again."

"You'd never do that," Fiyero said confidently. "You love me too much."

Elphaba made a gagging sound before disappearing back into the room. This was followed by a few bangs, and then a loud "Ah-ha!" was heard.

"What is it?"

Elphaba emerged, looking victorious. "I found the linen," she announced. "There's a blanket and a bath towel each. So at least we won't be cold or wet."

"Fantastic."

Elphaba spared him an inquiring frown, before heading back into the kitchen and out the back door. A few minutes later, she returned with a bucket of water, from which she promptly proceeded to fill the kettle. "There's some tea in the cupboard; I thought we could do with a cup," she informed Fiyero as she placed the kettle on the stove. She then opened the door to the range and put in a few pieces of firewood from a nearby pile. Afterwards, she began opening the drawers, clearly in search of something, but eventually gave up and turned to Fiyero, looking almost sheepish. "Ummm, I don't suppose you would have any matches on you, would you?" she asked.

Fiyero's face scrunched up. "What do you think I am, an arsonist?" Nevertheless, he put his hand in his jacket pocket and withdrew a box of matches, which he tossed to Elphaba.

"Why _do_ you keep matches on you, then?" she challenged as she deftly caught the box and struck a match. She turned and threw the match into the range, and then quickly shut the door.

"Just one of the many things I was taught as a young boy growing up in the Vinkun wilderness. Be prepared."

Elphaba raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Because cushy palaces and servants waiting on you around the clock can be called 'the wilderness'," she shot back sarcastically.

"Hey," Fiyero said defensively, "growing up in the Vinkus isn't exactly easy, even for royalty. Perhaps it's even harder for royals; we have to prove not only that we are men, but that we can be strong, capable leaders."

"Does that go for the women, too? Or don't you have any over there?" Elphaba sniggered at his choice of words. "Is that why you're always flitting from one girl to another? Seeing what you've missed out on?"

"Oh, go on, laugh," Fiyero said, glowering at her. "One day, you're coming to the Vinkus, and I'll show you exactly how tough it can be."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Whatever." At that moment, the kettle started its shrill wail, and Elphaba quickly took it off the stove, only to nearly drop it as the heat burnt her skin. She withdrew her hand with a hiss of pain and a muttered curse.

Immediately, Fiyero's brow creased in concern. "Are you alright?"

Elphaba shrugged indifferently. "Should have grabbed a towel or something to pick it up with; I think I just burnt my hand, that's all."

"Here, let me see." Ignoring Elphaba's protests, Fiyero gently took her hand and turned it over, spreading out her fingers so that he could get a good look at her palm. After examining the angry red marks, Fiyero led Elphaba outside.

Elphaba watched on in confusion as Fiyero squatted down and began to roll up a small ball of snow. "What are you doing?"

Instead of replying, Fiyero straightened up and reached once more for Elphaba's hand. Gingerly, he pressed the snow to the affected area of skin.

"Fiyero?"

Fiyero looked up to meet Elphaba's questioning gaze. "I learnt it in the Vinkus. If it's winter and you don't have running water, ice packs or cold compresses, snow works just as well on minor burns. Don't leave it on there for too long, though," he warned, "because we don't want your body temperature to drop. We just want to take the heat out of the burn."

Elphaba couldn't help but reluctantly look somewhat impressed. "And then what?"

"Then I'll lightly wrap a bandage around it and you'll take some painkillers. Do you have any with you?"

Elphaba nodded. "Yes, I have some in my bag."

"Good."

"Just one question."

Fiyero looked at Elphaba. "What's that?"

"We have running water. Why didn't you just use the pump?"

"It would have been too strong," Fiyero explained. "There's no way to slow down a pump, and the strength of the water pouring from it would likely have given you a lot of extra pain you don't need."

"Oh."

The two stood in silence for a few minutes, before Fiyero instructed Elphaba to remove the melting snow from the burn. They then went back inside, and Fiyero delved into his suitcase and extracted a first-aid kit. He found a hand towel in the linen closet, which he used to gently pat the burn dry, and then he carefully wrapped a bandage around Elphaba's hand, making sure he didn't put too much pressure on the wound.

Once he had finished, Elphaba took some painkillers and Fiyero told her to let her hand rest for a while so that she wouldn't cause any further damage to it.

"But how am I to do anything?" Elphaba complained.

"What do you need to do?" Fiyero asked in confusion.

"Well, for a start, I'm going to need to make us dinner tonight. Well, fix _something_ to eat, at any rate. And how am I to take a bath? I do everything with my right hand."

Fiyero's lips quirked into a lopsided smirk. "I could help you out there."

Elphaba threw him a disgusted glance. "I'm sure you could."

Fiyero's smirk widened into a grin. "Did you just give me permission to help you bathe?"

"No, I most certainly did _not_!" Elphaba snapped.

Fiyero gave a fake pout. "Awww, c'mon, Elphaba, I'm a dab hand with a sponge…"

Elphaba turned away with a scowl. "You're disgusting, Tiggular."

"Just one of the many qualities you love about me, Thropp."

"I've a good mind not to bother fixing you anything to eat at all."

"I don't need food when I've got you, honey," Fiyero cooed sweetly.

"I can't believe you're wasting your pathetic lines on _me_," Elphaba muttered.

"Flattered?"

"Far from it."

"Well, you know me – I never pass up the opportunity to chat up a girl, even if she refuses to feel flattered. Or if she refuses to let on that she's flattered."

Swinging around, Elphaba shook her uninjured fist in Fiyero's face. "If you keep talking like that, _I'll_ flatter _you_ – with a steamroller!"

Fiyero placed a hand over his heart with a mock-wounded look on his face. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?" Elphaba snarled.

Fiyero shook his head. "Nah. You love me too much."

Elphaba threw up her hands. "Oz, what is it with you? Not everyone loves you, you know! Get over yourself, Tiggular."

"Don't want to admit your feelings for me yet, Thropp? That's fine, that's fine," Fiyero said lightly, "but don't hold out too long or you'll drive me crazy."

"You don't think being delusional is a sign of craziness?" Elphaba spat. "Personally, I think you have erotomania. Though why in Oz you would want to believe that _I_, of all people, love you, I simply cannot imagine. Unless it's just an ego thing. Is that it? No girl has ever _not_ fallen for you before, so you want to remedy the situation? Even if it's just in your mind?"

Fiyero sighed dramatically. "You know me so well," he teased.

"Believe me, it's not a pleasant feeling."

"Thanks, Thropp."

"Any time, Tiggular."

* * *

**Author's Note:**** There are two lines in here I kind of borrowed and altered to suit my own purposes. Purely because they sprang to mind and I could neither get them out of my head or come up with anything better. The first is, "Sit here and wait for Mehrphyu Trogba to come by towing the Ozian Queen and ask him for help?" The original line is from an episode of 'As Time Goes By'. In that particular scene, the two main characters are lost in an overgrown field, and one says asks if they should "stand here and wait for Humphrey Bogart to come by towing the African Queen and ask him the way?"  
**

**The second line is when Elphaba says, "..._I'll_ flatter _you_ - with a steamroller!" I borrowed that from Margaret out of M*A*S*H. Yes, I'm a huge M*A*S*H fan. I'm constantly quoting M*A*S*H. So naturally, I had to quote it here.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's**** Note:**** I meant to update this yesterday, but didn't get around to it. Sorry about that. I hope this chapter makes up for it.**

**Thankyou to everyone for the lovely, lovely reviews; but a special shout-out to Maddy (Ultimate Queen of Cliffies) for picking up my own favourite lines (what a surprise ;P) and to Glitter-Bunnii for the same reason and also for picking up my subtle Defying Gravity reference. :)**

* * *

**CHAPTER 3:**

As it turned out, Elphaba didn't need to worry about cooking dinner, as there were very few supplies in the small cottage. What Elphaba did find was some cheese and some slightly-stale bread, both of which Fiyero helpfully sliced up to divide between the two of them as instructed by Elphaba, who was very strict on how much to consume that night and how much to put aside for later.

By the time they ate and Fiyero had his bath, Elphaba's hand had settled down enough for her to bathe herself.

When she came out of the bathroom, she was somewhat surprised to see Fiyero sitting in front of the fire he had lit earlier, staring into the flames. She had fully expected him to be sprawled out on the floor asleep.

As she sat down beside him, Fiyero glanced up. "How's your hand?"

"It's fine." Elphaba was silent for a moment, before she spoke again. "I meant to thank you earlier." At Fiyero's surprised look, she clarified, "You know, for fixing it up."

Fiyero shrugged nonchalantly, though a hint of a smile tugged at his lips. "It was nothing."

Elphaba shifted her gaze to the fire. "Well, thanks, anyway."

After a while of silence, Elphaba finally suggested they go to sleep. Fiyero agreed readily and the two made themselves as comfortable as possible on the floor in front of the fire.

The night was uneventful and Elphaba awoke early the next morning feeling a bit stiff, but nonetheless refreshed.

However, when she turned onto her other side to find Fiyero gone, she couldn't stop a wave of panic from washing over her. She quickly sat up and scanned the room. No Fiyero. She rose and searched the tiny cottage, but there was still no sign of him. His luggage was still there, however, and she tried to calm herself down by reassuring herself that he couldn't have gone too far. But when she looked outside and still found no sign of him, she began to grow worried despite herself. What if something had happened to him? Would that something happen to her, too?

Half an hour later, Elphaba heard the back door open and close. She fairly flew into the kitchen to find Fiyero standing there, covered in snow, his cheeks tinted with a pink glow and his eyes sparkling.

"Where were you?" Elphaba demanded, trying in vain to keep the shrill edge out of her voice.

Fiyero grinned and held up a hand. "Catching our lunch."

Elphaba's eyes widened as she realized he was holding up two dead rabbits. "You…went hunting?"

Fiyero nodded. "I had the idea last night when I spied that rack of rifles in the sitting room." He placed the rabbits on the table and strode through to the adjoining room, replacing the rifle he had taken.

"And you managed to shoot two rabbits. How long were you out there?"

"It must have been about five o'clock when I went out. But I only caught one rabbit."

"But –"

"I found the other one outside on the door handle. It looks like someone left it there for us."

Elphaba frowned. "Left it for us?" she echoed. "But who? No-one knows we're here…there's no-one nearby…"

Fiyero shrugged. "I don't know. But I'm not going to look a gift rabbit in the mouth. I just hope you know how to prepare rabbit."

"Well, I've never actually done it myself before," Elphaba admitted, "but I have read some recipes. I'm sure I'll manage." She bustled over to the pantry and took out some of the remaining bread and cheese. "Breakfast?"

Fiyero nodded and sat down. "Thanks."

The two enjoyed a quiet breakfast. Afterwards, Elphaba offered to make them some tea, but Fiyero insisted on doing it himself so that Elphaba wouldn't hurt her hand any further. For that, Elphaba was immensely grateful, even though she didn't explicitly say so.

"The coachmen put the horses in the stable, didn't they?" Elphaba asked suddenly.

There was a small, four-stall stable at the back of the small cottage. The men had decided to rest the horses so that they were fresh for when they began to travel the next leg of their journey. Besides, they had reasoned, it might actually be quicker to seek out help on foot.

"Yes, they did," Fiyero confirmed.

"I suppose we should attend to them," Elphaba mused thoughtfully.

"I already did."

Elphaba glanced up in surprise. "You did?"

Fiyero shrugged. "Yeah, I took care of them before I left. I found some fresh hay in a corner of the stable."

Elphaba fought to keep her voice neutral as she said, "That was thoughtful of you."

"Yeah, well, I have my moments," Fiyero replied, casually waving away the remark. "How's your hand?"

Elphaba frowned at the sudden change in topic but let it slide. "It's fine."

"Good."

The pair lapsed into silence.

After a while, Fiyero spoke up. "So, what are we going to do today?"

"What _can_ we do?" Elphaba countered.

"I can think of plenty of things," Fiyero returned with a suggestive wink.

Elphaba groaned and put her head in her hands. "Oz, Tiggular, do you _ever_ give up?"

"Nope," was Fiyero's cheerful reply.

"Figures," Elphaba muttered under her breath.

The morning wore on tediously slowly, which both Elphaba and Fiyero blamed on the lack of something constructive to do – at least, Elphaba did. Fiyero blamed it on the lack of entertainment. By the time lunch rolled around, Elphaba was worried she hadn't packed enough books to last the trip. However, when she expressed her concerns aloud, Fiyero simply rolled his eyes and said she would have to re-read something if she was that desperate.

Elphaba was relieved when, finally, it was time to prepare lunch. Nervously, she attempted to prepare and cook the rabbit Fiyero had shot that morning.

Surprisingly, it didn't turn out half bad, although it was slightly overcooked. It was nothing they couldn't deal with, though, and Elphaba felt confident that she would do a better job the next time around.

The afternoon passed in much the same manner as the morning. As evening approached, Fiyero and Elphaba went out to take care of the horses. As soon as they were finished, Elphaba cooked the second rabbit – which did indeed turn out better – for their dinner, and then the pair had their separate baths. Afterwards, Fiyero changed the dressing on Elphaba's burn, before the two decided to go to sleep earlier that night.

During the night, Elphaba awoke and, in need of the amenities, slipped quietly outside.

Five minutes later, having finished with the outdoor toilet, Elphaba opened the door, only to see a tall, shadowed figure standing there – a sight which prompted her to emit a terrified scream.

The figure lurched forward and clamped a hand over Elphaba's mouth. "Oz, Elphaba, anyone would think I was strangling you!"

Elphaba pushed the hand away and whispered roughly, "Fiyero? What are you doing out here?"

"I woke up and you were gone. I, uh, didn't know where you were and thought maybe something had happened to you. So I came out here to investigate."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Come on; let's go back inside before you catch your death." Fiyero turned and headed back inside, Elphaba following. Once they were safely in the kitchen, Fiyero noticed that Elphaba was shivering. _And no wonder, _he thought, _she's only wearing one layer of clothes and a jumper._ He shook his head. "Here, let's get you warmed up. Tea?" he offered, putting the kettle on the stove.

Elphaba smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"Next time you need to go somewhere," Fiyero said, "wake me so I know where you are."

Elphaba smirked slightly. "Now you know how I felt when I woke up this morning to find _you_ gone."

Fiyero grimaced. "_Touché_. Okay, from now on, we let each other know what we're doing."

"Not every single tiny, unimportant little move, though," Elphaba agreed hesitantly.

"Deal." Fiyero set a cup of tea in front of her. "Here you go."

Elphaba accepted the cup eagerly and took a sip. The hot liquid instantly warmed her up and she closed her eyes, savouring the moment when the heat travelled through her body. "Thanks," she murmured.

When she finally opened her eyes again, it was to discover Fiyero watching her. "What?"

Fiyero averted his gaze. "Nothing. I think I'll go back to bed. Or whatever it is you call our sleeping arrangements."

Elphaba nodded. "I'll join you in a minute."

Fiyero, who was now halfway to the doorway, turned and quirked an eyebrow at her, and Elphaba's eyes widened.

"Oz, no, not like that!" she stuttered quickly, her face heating up.

Fiyero merely gave her a tired smirk. "Sure, Thropp." He turned and headed back into the sitting room.

As soon as she was alone, Elphaba let her head fall onto her arms, which were folded on top of the table. Oz, how embarrassing! Elphaba was sure she would never live that one down. Just as well no-one else had been around to hear it.

Thankfully, by the time Elphaba had finished her tea, Fiyero was already snoring away happily. Elphaba rolled her eyes as she settled down underneath her blanket. As she drifted off to sleep, her fuzzy mind hoped Fiyero would have forgotten all about her little _faux pas_ by morning.

When Elphaba awoke the next morning, she found Fiyero propped up on his elbow, watching her once again. Before she could react, however, Fiyero spoke.

"Did you know you look almost human when you sleep?"

"Damn, you saw through my façade of being a mean, old vegetable," Elphaba said sarcastically, though the effect was ruined by the sleepy mumble her voice insisted on using.

Fiyero let out a low, throaty chuckle, causing an uninvited shiver to run up Elphaba's spine. "Maybe you should let yourself wake up properly before attempting sarcasm."

"I'm awake," Elphaba protested, sitting up. "What time is it?"

"Somewhere about eight, I'd say," Fiyero replied.

"So you didn't get up before dawn to go hunting?" Elphaba asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I promised I wouldn't leave without telling you, didn't I?"

"I know," Elphaba replied drily.

"You don't trust my word?" Fiyero put a hand over his heart. "I'm hurt."

"I've heard that before."

Fiyero grinned. "Are you telling me I'll have to get some new lines?"

"Yep."

"_Then_ will they work on you?"

"Nope."

Fiyero leant back on both elbows. "Then why bother?"

Elphaba snorted. "You're irrepressible."

"That's me."

Elphaba glanced over at him, before bursting out laughing.

Fiyero looked at her in amusement. "What?"

"I was just thinking."

"About…?"

"This whole situation."

"And you suddenly find it funny? You didn't before."

Elphaba shook her head, still chuckling. "No, I don't think it's funny. I think it's ridiculous."

"Why?" Fiyero pressed, now curious as to what was so ridiculous that it could make Elphaba Thropp laugh.

"Had it been any other girl, you would have found out about this place in advance, _arranged_ for the carriage to get caught in a snowdrift, buttered her up, and you'd have been in each other's arms five minutes after you got inside. Am I right?" Elphaba didn't give him a chance to answer before continuing. "Yet here we are – nothing about this was pre-arranged; we've spent two days here and still hate each other."

"Do we?"

Surprised at his soft, serious tone of voice, Elphaba narrowed her eyes at Fiyero and was startled to find an intense look in his eyes as he gazed at her steadily. "Do we what?" she asked faintly, caught off-guard.

"Do we really hate each other?"

Elphaba shrugged, looking away uncomfortably. "Well, you've made it abundantly clear that _you_ hate _me_."

"I wonder."

"What do you wonder?"

"Well, it seems as though I _haven't_ made it clear at all."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Believe me, you've made it _more_ than clear."

"I mean," Fiyero clarified, sitting up, "it seems as though I haven't made it clear that I really _don't_ hate you."

Elphaba's head jerked up, a look of shock written across her face. "You what?"

Fiyero moved closer so that he was sitting directly in front of her. "I don't hate you, Elphaba. In fact, I'd have to admit you're kind of cool…in an unorthodox way. You're spunky and I admire your spirit."

Elphaba gave him a doubtful look. "Then how come you're always making rude comments about me?" she challenged.

Fiyero shrugged, looking sheepish. "I really don't have a good excuse for that," he said apologetically, "but I'm sorry."

Elphaba was silent for a long moment and she chewed her lip as she registered Fiyero's words. Finally, she nodded in acceptance of his apology. "I'm sorry, too. I suppose I don't make it easy for you to be nice to me; I'm not so great at being nice myself."

Fiyero smiled gently. "It's okay. Really. I started it, anyway; you were just reacting. I guess I can't say I really blame you for that."

"I don't really hate you, either," Elphaba confessed. "I just hated what you said."

After a moment, Fiyero asked, "So, what now? What happens when we get back to Shiz?"

"You can go on hating me. Afterall, you have appearances to keep up, don't you?" Elphaba smirked slightly. "You can't suddenly stop hating the Green Bean. People will talk."

Fiyero returned her smirk. "I could always keep flirting with you."

"And why in Oz would you want to do that?" Elphaba retorted.

"Why not?"

"Um, green, remember?" Elphaba said, gesturing to herself.

Fiyero shrugged. "So? You're still a girl."

Elphaba scowled. "Let's just get one thing straight, Tiggular: just because we've made up or whatever doesn't mean you get to treat me like any old floozy. I'd rather you go on treating me as you always have – with contempt."

"Hey, that raises another interesting point," Fiyero announced brightly.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "And just what may that be?"

"We may have made up, but we're yet to make out."

Elphaba's eyes widened in horror. "_What?_"

"Well, it's kind of traditional to make out after you've made up. Seals the deal, so to speak."

"I believe," Elphaba hissed icily, "that _'tradition'_ is reserved only for couples. Which _we_ are _not_."

"Not necessarily."

"Do you mean it's not necessarily reserved for couples, or we're not necessarily not a couple?"

"Both," Fiyero replied with a cheeky grin.

"I knew your moment of sincerity couldn't last. Get lost, Tiggular."

Elphaba turned away and Fiyero leant back on his elbows again.

"Why do you find me so repulsive, anyway?"

"You mean aside from your egotism, your snarky comments, your careless attitude, your –"

"Yes, aside from all that," Fiyero cut in seriously. "Just imagine I dropped all of that. Am I so repulsive that you still wouldn't look at me twice? That you'd still insult me, even without due cause?"

Elphaba was silent, and Fiyero didn't think she was going to answer.

"No, I suppose not," she admitted reluctantly after a few minutes. "And if _I_ stopped insulting _you_? If I were nice to you all the time? If I weren't…green?"

Fiyero replied quietly, "Then I would find you very attractive indeed."

Elphaba's head snapped around in surprise and her eyes locked with Fiyero's. They stared at each other for a long moment, Elphaba feeling hypnotized by the blue depths into which she gazed. "It's a shame I can't get rid of the green, then," she murmured.

Fiyero shook his head. "You don't have to get rid of the green. You're attractive enough as you are." The corner of his mouth twitched upwards as he added, "Insults and all."

Elphaba blushed furiously. "Well, this is new," she managed.

"What is?"

"You exchanging blatant flirting for subtlety. That's something I didn't expect from you."

Fiyero looked amused. "You think these are all still just lines." It was a statement, not a question.

Elphaba didn't reply and Fiyero didn't pursue it any further.

"So you admit I'm not that bad. But what do you _really_ think of me, I wonder?"

"I told you what I think of you."

"No," Fiyero said thoughtfully. "No, I don't believe you did. I know what you think of my attitude. And you've said a few choice words on the subject of my personality. But what do you think of _me_? As a person? As…a man?"

"I-I don't understand," Elphaba said nervously.

"Well, for example, do you find me…attractive?"

Elphaba shook her head – too quickly, Fiyero noticed.

"Not even in the slightest? I admitted you're pretty attractive… Can you really not say the same about me?"

"I can."

"Truthfully?"

Elphaba stood and made for the kitchen. "I think it's time we had breakfast."

Fiyero rolled his eyes and got up to follow. "You know, avoiding the question just weakens your own argument. It makes me think I'm right."

"Think what you want; you will, anyway, regardless of anything I say."

"Are you scared to admit you're attracted to me? Is that it?"

Elphaba froze.

"You don't like people knowing you have weaknesses?" Fiyero stepped in front of Elphaba, blocking her path. "Everyone has their weaknesses. You're human. You can't be human if you don't have weaknesses."

"Didn't you hear? I'm a vegetable. Vegetables don't have weaknesses."

"That's a load of crap...even if most of it came out of my mouth."

Elphaba turned away, but Fiyero trapped her by placing his arms on either side of her, his palms leaning on the counter. "So tell me: are you attracted to me?"

"No."

"Can you look me in the eye and tell me that?"

Elphaba raised her eyes to his. "Fiyero, I'm not attracted to you." But her voice shook and her eyes immediately shifted away.

"So," Fiyero continued, leaning so close that his breath tickled Elphaba's face, "you wouldn't like it if I kissed you right now."

Elphaba shook her head.

"Not even the tiniest bit?" His breath was on her neck now; his voice low and husky.

Another shake accompanied by a shiver.

"We'll see about that." Before Elphaba could register what was happening, Fiyero had dipped his head and taken Elphaba's lips with his own.

Elphaba's eyes widened when she realized what was going on and she pushed him away. "What the hell are you doing?" she screeched.

"I'm experimenting," was Fiyero's calm reply.

"Well?" Elphaba demanded. "Does the green taste any different?"

Fiyero gave a throaty chuckle. "You're a strange girl, you know that? And I'm not talking about your skin." He raised one hand and gently stroked Elphaba's jaw. "Can you honestly say you didn't like me kissing you?"

"Yes."

Fiyero hummed thoughtfully. "I beg to differ. You see, I happen to know quite a bit about body language when a guy is flirting with a girl, and you've given yourself away, what with your shivering and your uncharacteristic silence. If I kissed you again, you wouldn't try so hard to push me away." His face hovered dangerously close to hers.

"Don't you dare." Her voice was quieter than she would have liked and she cringed internally.

"Why shouldn't I?" he teased. "I rather enjoyed the first time." Once more, Fiyero closed the distance between them.

Elphaba, who was prepared for it this time, immediately pushed him off. "You were wrong."

Fiyero grinned. "Actually, no. I knew you would push me away again – but only because you were desperate to prove me wrong. You try too hard, Miss Thropp. You're more transparent than you think you are." He lightly brushed his lips along her jaw line, eliciting yet another shiver from her. "Just admit it, Thropp. You're attracted to me."

"I am no such thing," she said, trying to sound indignant but not succeeding.

"Then why are you shivering?"

"I…I'm cold," Elphaba lied, suddenly acutely aware of just how cold she _wasn't_.

"You seem to shiver more when I do this," Fiyero said, nuzzling her jaw and smirking when she did indeed shiver. "How do you explain that?"

"I find you repulsive," she said weakly.

"You just admitted before that I'm _not_ repulsive," Fiyero pointed out.

Elphaba bit her lip. She had no argument to that and she knew it. And what was worse, he knew it, and he knew she knew it. So what now? He was close to checkmate. She was trapped.

"You know, if you don't admit it soon, I'll just have to keep on kissing you until you do," Fiyero whispered lightly in her ear, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.

"Alright, stop!" Elphaba cried, roughly pushing him away. "Fine, I admit it. You're attractive. But that is _it_," she said firmly.

Fiyero quirked an eyebrow. "Not convinced."

"Of course not," Elphaba muttered.

Fiyero decided to press his luck a little further and put his hands on Elphaba's waist, lightly moving his thumbs up and down.

Elphaba stepped back, only to find her back pressed up against the counter.

Fiyero stepped forward with her, slightly tightening his hold on her.

"What are you doing?" Elphaba asked, fighting to keep the note of panic out of her voice.

"That depends. What do you _want_ me to do?"

Elphaba scowled at the smirk on his face. "I want you to let go of me this instant."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Fiyero asked. "Or do you actually want me to kiss you again?"

"Get off me!"

"You still don't want to admit it, do you? You're attracted to me. Don't be embarrassed about it; afterall, I'm attracted to you, too."

"Fiyero…" Elphaba began in a warning voice.

"Okay, okay, I won't push it…for now."

"You already did."

Fiyero ignored her. "But I'll be pursuing this again later." He dropped his arms to his sides and stepped away, giving Elphaba some breathing space.

Elphaba immediately took advantage of her newfound freedom and moved away. "I'm going to take care of the horses. You don't have to come."

"I know that's code for 'I really don't want you to come', but I'm coming anyway."

Elphaba shrugged. "Just keep your hands – and your lips – to yourself."

Fiyero sighed internally as the gravity of what had just transpired hit him. How could he be such a pig? He had been presented with an opportunity to redeem himself, and what had he done? Reverted back to his daily façade of being a jerk. Next time, he promised himself, he would try to actually think before he said or did _anything_.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**** Thanks once again for all your lovely reviews; you all do such a great job at brightening my day! iamgoku, your reviews keep making me laugh out loud. Thankyou. ^_^  
**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4:**

Elphaba and Fiyero tended to the horses in silence – Elphaba keeping uncharacteristically quiet, and Fiyero often stealing glances at her, hoping to catch her eye. He never did.

As they were about to head inside, Elphaba stopped.

Fiyero looked back at her. "What is it?"

"Did you hear that noise?" Elphaba asked, her anger suddenly forgotten.

Fiyero cocked his head to the side, listening intently. "What noise?"

"It sounded like…chickens…"

The noise came again, and Elphaba and Fiyero exchanged glances.

"I heard it that time."

"It sounded like it came from behind the stable," Elphaba commented. "Come on."

The two wandered around behind the stable where, sure enough, there was a small run with a few hens.

"Look!" Elphaba cried excitedly, pointing at a particular hen. "Breakfast!"

Fiyero looked at her like she was crazy. "You're not proposing we kill the thing, are you?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Of course not, you idiot. Look closer."

Fiyero did so and noticed the hen was sitting on some eggs. He grinned. "Brilliant thinking, Thropp. You observe well." He paused. "Who's going to collect them?"

Elphaba returned his grin, albeit a bit more mischievously. "You are."

Fiyero spun to face her incredulously. "Me?" he cried, startled. "Why me? Why can't _you_ do it?"

"Why can't _you_?" Elphaba countered. "You're not scared of a few chickens, are you?"

"Of course not," Fiyero replied unconvincingly.

Elphaba smirked. "Off you go, then."

Fiyero hesitated. "Right." He walked slowly towards the run, opened the gate and entered. He smiled stiffly at the hens as they looked at him curiously. "Hello, ladies," he greeted them smoothly.

Having sized up their visitor and decided he wasn't a threat, most of the hens looked away disinterestedly. A couple moved away in search of something to peck at, and one stayed still, her beady eye watching Fiyero carefully.

"Aren't you a beautiful hen?" he cooed. "What's your name, hmmm?"

"Hey, Tiggular, you're meant to be retrieving some eggs, not chatting up the chickens!"

Fiyero tossed Elphaba a glare over his shoulder. "I just want to show them I'm not going to hurt them. I'm getting there, alright?"

"Well, get there a bit faster," Elphaba shot back.

Fiyero rolled his eyes but didn't make any further remark. Abandoning his idea of talking to the hens, he instead made his way over to where the eggs were and stopped, looking at the mother for a few minutes.

Eventually, Elphaba got sick of waiting and said so. "Honestly," she added in exasperation, "anyone would think you didn't want any breakfast. Just reach in and get the damn eggs already! Or are you too chicken?"

"I am not!" Fiyero snapped. "I'm just thinking of the best way to do this. I need to have a strategy."

"Chicken!" Elphaba taunted, making chicken noises when Fiyero still didn't move, causing the hens to start clucking along as well. Elphaba smirked.

Clenching his jaw in irritation, Fiyero began to talk to the hen in a low voice, trying to coax her to move away from her nest. After several minutes with no success, he reached out and picked up the hen, placing her on the ground beside him. He managed to grab just one egg before the hen hopped back up on top of the remaining eggs. Fiyero sighed as he carefully put the egg in the pocket of his jacket. "Come on, girl," he said, moving the hen once more, "just give me a couple of minutes. Go and gossip with your friends or…something." But the hen once more made her way back to her nest.

Elphaba, who had been trying desperately to stifle her laughter, found she could not do so any longer and let out a loud hoot.

"It's not as easy as it looks!" Fiyero defended himself.

"You're making it harder than it should be," Elphaba told him.

"Well, why don't you come and do it yourself?"

"It might be quicker," Elphaba conceded with an air of agreement as she entered the enclosure. She strolled over to where Fiyero stood and flashed him an overly-sweet smile before bending down, sliding her hand under the hen and promptly pulling out the remaining four eggs.

Fiyero glowered at her. "Alright, you win. Can we have breakfast now?"

Elphaba laughed. "Yes, we can have breakfast now. Well, once I've cooked this lot. Scrambled eggs on toast?"

Fiyero grinned. "Sounds perfect."

The pair made their way inside and Elphaba immediately set about heating up the range after placing the eggs carefully on the bench. Fiyero, in turn, put down the grouse which he had picked up from the same place the rabbit had been left the day before.

"How did you know how to convince that hen to give up her eggs?" Fiyero asked curiously, coming to stand next to her. "Does your family own chickens back in Munchkinland or something?"

"No, but Munchkinland _is_ farm country," Elphaba replied pointedly. "I just grew up with it." She shrugged.

"Like how I grew up with hunting being a part of life in the Vinkus," Fiyero commented quietly.

"I guess." Elphaba moved toward the cupboard and opened it. Just as she reached for the bread, however, Fiyero came up behind her and reached for it himself.

"Here, I'll get that." As he set the bread down on the counter in front of Elphaba, he inadvertently pressed against her back. The next moment, however, Fiyero got a strange feeling…and then he realized what had happened. "Uh-oh…" he muttered, stepping away.

Elphaba turned around and gazed at him inquiringly. "What is it?"

Fiyero's face turned a dark shade of scarlet as he stammered, "I, uh, I f-forgot about the egg in my pocket…"

"And you squished it, right?" Elphaba sighed. "Well, I suppose at least it will keep us from fighting over who gets the last egg."

Fiyero peeked into his pocket. "Oh, man, it's _everywhere_…yuck…"

Elphaba sniggered. "Serves you right for treating me like an invalid."

Fiyero shot her a withering glance. "I'm glad _you_ find it so amusing. That's my only clean jacket until we get to a laundromat," he lamented, groaning at the realization. "How am I ever going to get that out?"

"By washing it?" Elphaba said as though the answer were obvious – which it should have been.

"Thankyou, Miss Helpful."

"I'm serious. Cold water is great for removing raw egg. Besides," she added, "in this situation, a washing machine just isn't going to cut it. The only way to conquer this one is hand-washing."

"Yeah, well, maybe so, but I don't exactly _know_ how to hand-wash anything," Fiyero returned.

Elphaba pursed her lips and averted her gaze, giving a half-shrug. "Well, I _was_ going to do it myself, but I can leave it if you prefer…"

"You were?" Fiyero asked in surprise.

"Past tense. I've changed my mind. You can do it yourself."

Fiyero sighed. "Look, how about we trade? You wash my jacket, I'll cook breakfast. How's that?"

Elphaba raised an eyebrow sceptically. "You cook?"

"Well…no," Fiyero confessed reluctantly. "But scrambled eggs on toast can't be _that_ hard, right?"

Elphaba watched him quietly for a moment, a look of doubt etched on her face, before she reached up and patted his cheek. "Poor, innocent Fiyero," she said mock-sympathetically, a sly grin tugging at her lips. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"Does that mean you'll trade?" Fiyero asked eagerly.

Elphaba shook her head. "Under any other circumstance, I would _love_ to watch you fail at cooking eggs. But this" – she gestured to their meagre supplies – "is all we have, and I'm not going to let you waste any of it. I'll cook breakfast myself. And, afterwards, I'll wash your jacket."

"You will?"

"Yeah. But only because I don't want to hear you complain – and I know you will."

Fiyero grinned. "You know me so well."

"I feel like I've heard this before," Elphaba muttered, lifting her eyes to the ceiling. She looked back to Fiyero. "But don't get used to this," she warned him. "After this trip, no more. Understand?"

Fiyero nodded quickly. "I understand." He squeezed her hand gratefully. "Thanks, Elphaba."

When Fiyero made no move to do anything, Elphaba rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Well, take it off."

Fiyero looked taken aback. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Your jacket, dumbass."

"Oh. Right." Fiyero unzipped his jacket and slipped his arms out of the sleeves.

"Why, what did you think I meant?"

"I…" Fiyero trailed off, before shaking his head. "Uh, nevermind."

Elphaba shook her head as well as Fiyero handed her his jacket. "Oz, Fiyero, your mind is in the gutter. But then, I shouldn't be surprised – afterall, this is you we're talking about."

"Hey!" Fiyero protested. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means I haven't been able to make one comment since we got here without you churning out some suggestive wisecrack," Elphaba shot back.

Fiyero winced. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking guilty.

"Why don't you go and warm yourself up by the fire?" Elphaba suggested. "I'll cook breakfast and then we can eat it in there. Okay?"

Fiyero flashed her a tentative smile. "Thanks." He made his way into the sitting room, leaving Elphaba to bustle around the kitchen, and sat down in front of the fireplace.

After a moment, Fiyero spied a book which Elphaba had been reading and had left on the table. Curiosity piqued, Fiyero rose and wandered over, picking up the book and having a flick through. Intrigued by what he saw, he sat down, turned back to page one and began to read.

About ten minutes later, Elphaba emerged from the kitchen carrying two full plates.

"I didn't know you read romance novels," Fiyero commented, closing the book and pushing it aside.

Elphaba set the plates down on the table. "I don't."

Fiyero indicated the book. "Then what's this?"

Elphaba averted her gaze. "Okay, it's a romance novel," she conceded. "But I don't make a habit of it, okay? It's just that one."

Fiyero put his elbows on the table and leant forward. "Why?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Why just that one?" Fiyero asked curiously.

"I-I don't understand," Elphaba murmured.

"Sure you do. You're not the romance novel type. So why this one? What makes this one so special that you would go out of your way to read it?"

"Who says I've gone out of my way to read it?" Elphaba defended weakly, only to sigh in defeat when Fiyero fixed her with a look. "It's…personal."

"You can tell me," Fiyero urged gently.

"I'll just get some cutlery," Elphaba said, disappearing back into the kitchen.

Fiyero sighed. Earlier, he had thought he was a step closer to getting her to open up. Evidently, he had been wrong. Then again, it wasn't all that surprising what with the way he had acted.

When Elphaba returned, Fiyero decided to change the topic. "What did you mean earlier when you said I didn't know what I was getting myself into? I mean, you're doing everything."

Elphaba grinned wickedly. "Precisely."

Fiyero looked wary. "Why don't I trust that grin?"

"You see," Elphaba elaborated, "by letting me do everything, you're putting yourself in a…shall we say, a certain position?"

Fiyero's eyes narrowed. "And what sort of 'position' would that be?"

Elphaba's eyes gleamed as she replied, "One of debt."

Fiyero groaned. "Oh, no."

Elphaba's grin widened. "Oh, yes."

"What do I have to do?" Fiyero questioned in a dull mutter.

"Well," Elphaba began, dragging out the 'l' sound, "it would be nice to not have to deal with your silly comments for the rest of the trip…"

"Which ones?"

"All of them," Elphaba said firmly.

"Alright, you've got it," Fiyero mumbled his agreement.

"And –"

"There's an 'and'?" Fiyero interrupted in alarm.

"There's always an 'and'," Elphaba said with a smile, fluttering her eyelashes innocently.

"That's true," Fiyero said heavily.

"As I was saying," Elphaba continued, "I also expect you to behave yourself and to be serious at the exhibition. I don't expect you to help me – though it would be nice – but I _do_ expect you to be polite and helpful to anyone who asks a question of you. Can you do that?"

"I'll try."

Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"I will," Fiyero amended hastily.

Elphaba gave a smirk of satisfaction. "Excellent."

After Elphaba finished her breakfast, she brought some water in and turned the bathtub into a temporary washtub.

She had only been gone for a couple of minutes when Fiyero grew bored and restless and decided to join Elphaba in the bathroom – internally sniggering at his subconscious choice of words, of course.

Without looking up from her task, Elphaba immediately began, "If you've come in here just to annoy me –"

"I haven't," Fiyero interrupted.

"Then why are you in here?"

"I just came to keep you company."

Elphaba quirked an eyebrow. "Thanks, but I'm used to being alone."

"I thought maybe we could…talk or…something," Fiyero continued, ignoring Elphaba's comment.

"What sort of something?" Elphaba asked suspiciously, finally looking up at him.

"Uh, I don't know…" Fiyero scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Did you want me to teach you how to get raw egg out of clothes?" Elphaba asked with a smirk. At Fiyero's panicked look, she rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I was only joking. Somehow, I think you would manage to bungle even that."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Fiyero said sarcastically.

Elphaba grinned. "Any time."

"I'm sure." Fiyero paused, before commenting, "You know, such a change has come over you today. Well, within the last few hours."

Elphaba peered over the top of her glasses with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've never seen you so relaxed."

"It probably had something to do with watching you fail at collecting eggs."

Fiyero laughed. "Probably," he agreed. "And me squashing that egg in my pocket."

Elphaba grinned. "That certainly helped."

Fiyero was silent for a moment. "I kind of wish you would show this side of yourself more often. I've never seen it before. It's nice."

Elphaba ducked her head in an attempt to conceal her blush. "Yeah, well, I wish you weren't such an ass all the time."

Fiyero gave her a sad smile. "So do I," he said quietly, before turning and leaving the room.

Elphaba watched him go, taken aback. She quickly wrung out the jacket and draped it over the side of the bathtub, before drying her hands and hurrying after Fiyero. She found him standing in front of the fireplace, gazing into the fire, his hands buried deep in his pockets. "Fiyero?" She approached him tentatively, her voice soft and laced with concern. "What do you mean?"

Fiyero turned slightly to look at her. "Hmmm? Oh, nothing."

"Fiyero…"

Fiyero sighed. "It's just…sometimes I wish I could be a bit more like you."

Elphaba snorted. "You wish you were green?"

Fiyero chuckled and shook his head. "I wish I could be smart like you. I wish I could just not care about what other people think of me…but I do. I care a lot. I seem to be cursed with a very strong sense of social awareness…or something."

Elphaba's gaze hardened. "You think I don't care what other people think of me?" she asked slightly incredulously, her voice low. "You think I don't care that people mock me because of something I can't control? You think I don't care that no-one can see past my skin? That I don't care about the way they push me away when I'm trying to help them? That I don't care that my own _father_ is ashamed of me?" Elphaba turned away, trying to hide the tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

Fiyero was quiet for a long moment. "I guess I never thought of it like that," he said finally.

"I do care, Fiyero," Elphaba said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself. "I care more than you could ever imagine."

Fiyero turned his head to the side to glance at Elphaba and was shocked to see that her shoulders were shaking. Unsure about what to do, he quietly moved to stand beside her and tentatively touched her arm. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I had no idea you felt this way."

Elphaba looked up at Fiyero and saw the sincerity in his eyes. It surprised her, and she quickly shifted her gaze elsewhere. She shrugged. "That's because I never let on to anyone."

"And the sarcasm?"

"Defence mechanism, I guess."

Fiyero nodded in understanding. That made sense.

Elphaba wiped her eyes and sniffled. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I don't know what came over me. Can we just forget about this whole thing?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

Elphaba's head whipped up. "You –"

"I won't tell anyone," Fiyero promised her reassuringly, "if that's what you want. But I can't just forget this ever happened. I'm going to remember it, and, hopefully, it will keep me straight."

Elphaba took a deep, shaky breath. "Thankyou."

"Are you alright?" Fiyero asked in concern after a moment.

Elphaba nodded. "Yes. I think I just need to be alone right now."

Fiyero squeezed her arm. "I understand."

Elphaba headed for the front door. Just as she reached it, Fiyero spoke again.

"Elphaba?"

Elphaba turned to face him.

"I'm sorry." At her questioning look, Fiyero clarified, "You know, for everything I've ever done or said to hurt you. I know I've been truly nasty towards you, and I'm sorry about that. I won't be razzing you anymore, and that's a promise."

Elphaba gave a small smile. "Thanks, Fiyero."


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's**** Note:**** Thanks for all your reviews. It's really great seeing what people think of the way Elphaba and Fiyero are behaving. I love how some people are calling him a jerk and some people are saying he's really sweet. This chapter might even out the field a bit. ;) And I'm glad you all enjoyed the chicken scene so much! I had a great time writing it.**

**vinkunwildflowerqueen: This is where you get to find out about the book. ;)**

**Ultimate Queen of Cliffies: Again, you got all my own favourite lines. Should I be surprised? No. Am I surprised? No. But I still love you for it.**

**Thedoctor24601: Thankyou for your lovely review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.  
**

**Bombafan: (Is this a CATS fan I spy? :D) I'm really happy you're liking this so much.**

**And everyone else, I still love your reviews. Please keep them coming!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 5:**

It was an hour and a half later when Elphaba returned. Immediately, she looked around for Fiyero, and almost instantly spotted him lying in front of the fire, his chest rhythmically rising and falling with the even breathing which comes with sleep. Smiling softly at the sight, Elphaba quietly closed the door behind her and tiptoed over to Fiyero. He looked so peaceful that Elphaba simply didn't want to disturb him – so she didn't. Instead, realizing it must be approaching lunch time, Elphaba made her way into the kitchen, but not before taking one last look at Fiyero over her shoulder.

After a little while of wondering what to do about lunch, Elphaba finally settled on making toasted cheese sandwiches.

Several times whilst she was preparing their meal, Elphaba glanced into the sitting room. Each time she looked, Fiyero appeared not to have moved a muscle.

Once the meal was ready, Elphaba turned to go and wake Fiyero, only to find him standing in the doorway, running a hand through his messy hair and looking at her with sleepy eyes.

"Lunch?" he questioned, stifling a yawn.

Elphaba nodded and smiled slightly. "You know just when to wake up, don't you?"

Fiyero let out a husky chuckle but did not reply as they sat down at the table and began to eat.

After a few minutes of silence, Fiyero asked gently, "Are you okay?"

Elphaba nodded and smiled slightly. "Fine, thanks."

"And your hand?"

Elphaba glanced down. She – or, rather, Fiyero – had not put on a fresh dressing after she had taken off the last one, opting instead to let it breathe for a bit, and the burn appeared to be healing well. She held out her palm for Fiyero to see, and he nodded in satisfaction. Elphaba went to pull her hand back, but Fiyero kept hold of it. Elphaba blinked up at his face and tried to catch his gaze, but to no avail. Fiyero just stared at her hand and began to trace soft patterns around the burn with his finger.

"Ummm, Fiyero?" Elphaba said eventually, fighting off shivers.

"Mmm?"

"I kind of need that hand back so I can have my lunch before it gets cold."

At long last, Fiyero looked up. "Sorry," he murmured absently, letting go of her hand.

Elphaba pulled back her hand and finished her meal, her eyes often flitting up to Fiyero's face.

Fiyero, meanwhile, kept his eyes trained on his plate the entire time.

They continued to sit at the table in silence long after they had finished eating. After a while, Elphaba spoke. "I'm not the only one who has had a change come over them today."

"I know," Fiyero replied quietly. He flashed her a lopsided smile, finally raising his eyes to look at her. "Prefer this side of me?"

"Much," Elphaba said immediately, fighting off a blush when she realized how eager she'd sounded.

Fiyero chuckled. "Good."

Elphaba paused, before changing the subject. "Do you suppose we'll get out of here anytime soon?"

Fiyero smirked slightly. "Sick of me already? Or are you scared to be alone with me for much longer?"

"Why would I be?"

"In case your resistance to me breaks and you're forced to admit your attraction to me."

Elphaba groaned. "Not this again. You promised no more cracks!" she said, glaring at him accusingly.

Fiyero put up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I don't know. But hey – look on the bright side."

Elphaba shot him a look. "And just what may that be?"

"We may get to miss the exhibition!"

Elphaba's gaze hardened. "Try again."

"You get to spend more time alone with me?"

"Oh, joy," Elphaba muttered.

"Hey, most girls would _kill_ to spend some time alone with me!"

"In case you hadn't noticed," Elphaba retorted, "I'm not 'most girls'."

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "Boy, is _that_ true," he muttered bitterly.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Elphaba demanded.

"Well, every time I think I'm starting to get somewhere with you, you suddenly go back to being sarcastic and defensive."

"'Get somewhere' with me?" Elphaba screeched shrilly. "Oh, I see. I'm the only girl who won't fall down in a dead faint at your feet, so you're trying to seduce me so I won't spoil your perfect record, is that it?"

"No, that is _not_ it!" Fiyero yelled angrily, standing up so suddenly that his chair toppled over. "I want to get to know you better, Elphaba. I thought you were worth getting to know. Well, if you carry on like this every time someone gets close, perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps you're _not_ worth getting to know, afterall." With that, Fiyero whirled around and strode into the adjoining room, leaving Elphaba sitting in shock, silent tears streaming down her face.

A moment later, the front door slammed, and Elphaba inadvertently let a loud sob escape her lips, her head falling into her hands.

The afternoon wore on and Elphaba, unable to fathom why she was crying, managed to calm down a bit, but Fiyero did not return. Despite herself, Elphaba began to grow worried and made up her mind to go looking for him. She hurriedly left the cottage, but not before ducking into the bathroom to discover Fiyero's jacket – now completely dry – still draped over the bathtub. With the jacket in her hand, Elphaba hastened through the nearby woods, calling Fiyero's name, her voice panicky. He would surely be freezing by now, and Elphaba was frightened of what she might find.

Elphaba finally found Fiyero sitting on a log, staring blankly out over a frozen stream. "Fiyero!" she cried, relief evident in her voice.

At the sound, Fiyero turned, before standing up.

The two looked at each other uncertainly for a moment, before Elphaba began to run straight for him. She screeched to a halt at the last moment and threw herself onto Fiyero, wrapping her arms around his waist and nearly knocking him over in the process. "Thank Oz you're safe!"

Fiyero gently lifted her chin and saw tears falling freely down her cheeks. "Elphaba?"

"I thought I'd killed you."

"What?" Fiyero frowned in confusion, searching her eyes.

"I made you angry," Elphaba explained. "When I realized you'd left without your jacket, I thought I'd sent you to your death. I've been searching for ages." Elphaba sniffled and pulled back to hand Fiyero his jacket.

"Thanks," Fiyero said gratefully, putting it on, "but I already feel a lot warmer now that you're here." He pulled her back to him and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry for storming out on you like that."

Elphaba shook her head vigorously. "_I_'m sorry. Did you really mean what you said about wanting to get to know me better?"

"Every word."

Elphaba was quiet for a moment. "No-one has ever wanted to get to know me before. Well, aside from Galinda," she corrected herself. "I'm not used to it. I guess it's just instinct to assume you must have an ulterior motive or something nasty up your sleeve. I'm sorry for doubting you."

"I guess I haven't given you much of a reason to trust me, have I?" Fiyero murmured, stroking Elphaba's hair.

Elphaba closed her eyes. "I trust you, Fiyero," she whispered. "I trust you more than I want to. And it scares me."

Elphaba's words surprised Fiyero, and they touched him deeply. He rested his chin on top of her head. "Don't be scared," he assured her quietly. "I won't let you down. I promise."

"Thankyou, Fiyero."

They spent another moment in silence, before Elphaba finally pulled away. "We should get you inside before you end up with pneumonia."

Fiyero wordlessly took Elphaba's hand and the pair made their way back to the cottage. By the time they reached the quaint building, the sky was beginning to darken with the onset of evening.

Once they were safely ensconced within the warmth of the house, Elphaba immediately set about cooking dinner, while Fiyero went and had a hot bath. When he finally emerged, wearing a thick jumper he had found hiding in his suitcase, Elphaba was already serving their meals.

"Feeling a bit warmer now?" Elphaba asked, glancing up at him briefly before turning her attention back to what she was doing.

"Much." Fiyero wrapped his arms around Elphaba's waist from behind and breathed in deeply. "Mmm, that smells divine. You're a marvel in the kitchen, you know that?"

Elphaba stiffened as she suppressed a shiver at Fiyero's touch. "I'm not really," she said modestly.

"Yes, you are," Fiyero insisted. "You're amazing."

Elphaba scoffed. "Fiyero, I think that's a little far-fetched. Now, do you want to eat or don't you?"

"Well, yeah," Fiyero conceded, reluctantly letting go of Elphaba's waist.

Dinner, as Fiyero had predicted it would be, was cooked to perfection, and, afterwards, he suggested they retire to the sitting room.

"Uh, after I have my bath," Elphaba said, and Fiyero agreed readily.

While Elphaba was in the bathroom, Fiyero knocked on the door. "Elphaba?"

"No, you may not join me in here!" Elphaba called back.

Fiyero grinned. "Damn. Oh, well, I'll just pop outside for a few minutes instead."

"You sound like you're talking about going to the corner shop – innocently, of course, because your plan really is to sneak around the side and peek through the window. Hate to break it to you, Tiggular, but in case you hadn't noticed, there are no windows in here."

Fiyero laughed. "Will you be alright by yourself?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes and emitted an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Fiyero, I'll be fine."

"Okay. I won't be long."

And he wasn't long, either. He returned only a couple of minutes after Elphaba emerged from the bathroom.

As he entered, Elphaba looked up from where she sat in front of the fireplace, frowning when she saw what was in his hand. "Sticks? What do you need those for?"

"You'll see," Fiyero said cheerfully. He strolled casually over to his suitcase, pulled out a small bag and ambled over to the fireplace, dropping down beside Elphaba. He held out the bag and the sticks with a smile, cocking his head to the side. "I hope you like toasted marshmallows."

Elphaba's face lit up. "Do I? I love them!" She beamed.

"Great!" Fiyero placed the sticks on the floor and enthusiastically opened the packet of marshmallows. He offered the bag to Elphaba, who grabbed a handful, picked up a stick and began threading on the fluffy sweets.

Fiyero grinned as he followed her lead and waved his stick over the fire. "This is more like it."

"Mmm," Elphaba agreed as she popped a marshmallow into her mouth, savouring its gooey sweetness. "Definitely."

They sat in silence for some time, eating marshmallows and just enjoying each other's company, before Elphaba spoke up again. "You were right."

Fiyero looked at her. "Of course I was. What about?"

"That book. There _is_ a special reason why I read it when I don't usually read romance novels."

"Look, Elphaba, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

"I _do_ want to." She paused, chewing her lip for a moment. "It was my mother's favourite book," she told him quietly, her gaze fixed on the fire. "She was always reading it. When she died, Father burnt all of her books."

"He knew how much that one meant to her?" Fiyero questioned softly.

Elphaba shook her head. "I rescued it. Hid it away. I never dared to read it until I came to Shiz, though, lest he discover it." She shrugged. "Somehow, I feel closer to her when I read it. Is that silly?" she asked suddenly, looking up at Fiyero.

Fiyero shook his head. "Not in the slightest."

Elphaba gave him a small smile, and Fiyero shifted closer, draping an arm around her smaller frame. Elphaba leant into his embrace and laid her head on his shoulder.

They stayed that way for some time until Elphaba's eyes began to grow heavy and she announced she was going to bed.

"Good idea," Fiyero agreed. He moved to lie down, pulling a startled Elphaba with him.

"What are you doing?" she squeaked.

"Keeping us warm."

"Why do I suddenly not trust you?"

Fiyero held up his hands. "No hanky-panky, I promise. That is, not unless you want to…"

"No," Elphaba interrupted a little too forcefully. "No," she repeated, softer this time.

"Then we won't," Fiyero said simply.

After another moment of hesitation, Elphaba gingerly lay down beside Fiyero, who immediately wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer so that her back was pressed against his chest.

Fiyero had just closed his eyes when Elphaba flew bolt upright. He sighed. "Elphaba –"

"The horses!"

Fiyero opened his eyes and blinked at her. "What?"

"The horses. We forgot to feed them," Elphaba explained.

"They'll be fine," Fiyero said, tugging her arm.

Elphaba gave him a doubtful look. "Perhaps I should just go and –"

"No," Fiyero said firmly, "you stay here. I'll go."

Elphaba watched as he stood and slipped on his jacket. "Maybe I should come with you…"

"I'll be fine."

"It will be quicker…"

"I'll just get them some fresh water and hay. I won't be any longer than ten minutes." As he headed out the back door, he called to her, "Leave it for fifteen before you call out the search party."

Fiyero kept to his word and was not outside for more than ten minutes. As soon as he was inside and shed of his jacket, Fiyero reclaimed his spot behind Elphaba. "It's snowing," he announced, nuzzling Elphaba's hair.

"Is it?"

"Mmm-hmmm. Look." Fiyero tipped Elphaba's head back so she could see the window. Just as Fiyero had said, tiny snowflakes were floating down against the black sky.

"Great," Elphaba muttered, "now we'll be stuck in here forever."

"I don't think so," Fiyero said thoughtfully. "It's only very light, and it doesn't look like it will get much heavier." His voice took on a teasing tone. "Besides, even if you _did_ have to stay here with me forever, it wouldn't be _that_ bad, would it?"

"I suppose not," Elphaba admitted reluctantly.

Fiyero smiled and burrowed his head into her neck.

"What…? Fiyero you're damp," Elphaba stated, sounding slightly confused.

"I am?" came Fiyero's muffled reply.

"Yes." Elphaba turned her head as far as she could to look at Fiyero and chuckled when she saw the cause of Fiyero's dampness. "Fiyero, your hair is full of snow!" she told him.

Fiyero lifted his hand and ran it through his hair, causing snowflakes to shower all over Elphaba.

"Thanks, Fiyero," she said drily.

Fiyero raised his head to grin at her. "Any time."

Elphaba brushed the flakes first off herself and then out of Fiyero's hair.

"Thanks," Fiyero said softly, catching her gaze. He brought his hand up to gently trace Elphaba's cheek, before planting a light kiss there. "Goodnight, Elphaba."

Elphaba blushed and spared him a shy smile. "Goodnight, Fiyero."


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's**** Note: Yes, Fiyero is a jerk. But maybe that's starting to change...  
**

**Then again, maybe not. ;)  
**

**Thedoctor24601: You have no idea how much I loved your latest review. I was about to go to bed when it came through, and it absolutely made my night.  
**

**Glitter-Bunnii: You managed to pick out my own above-all favourite line of that chapter. ^_^**

* * *

**CHAPTER 6:**

Elphaba woke the next morning to find a pair of bright blue eyes staring straight back at her.

"Good morning, Elphaba," Fiyero whispered, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

"Do you make a habit of watching people sleep?" Elphaba asked, ignoring his greeting. "If so, I'd suggest you cut it out. It's kind of creepy."

"Creepy?" Fiyero questioned with a slight frown.

"You try waking up to someone staring at you and see how _you_ like it," Elphaba shot back.

Fiyero laughed. "I'll bear that in mind."

At that moment, there was a knock on the front door. Elphaba and Fiyero immediately sat up and exchanged a look. They both frowned.

"Who could that be?" Elphaba whispered.

"I don't know," Fiyero murmured his reply, sounding just as confused as Elphaba had. Quietly, he stood and made his way over to the window, peering outside.

"Well?" Elphaba asked.

Fiyero shook his head. "I can't see anything. The window's at the wrong angle." He grabbed a nearby rifle and, after gesturing to Elphaba to get out of sight, cautiously opened the door, keeping the rifle out of view as well.

Thankfully, there was no need for the rifle, for it was one of the coachmen at the door.

"The road has been cleared, sir. When you're ready, we can continue the journey."

"Thankyou," Fiyero said. "We'll meet you outside in half an hour."

The coachman saluted. "Very good, sir."

"Finally!" Elphaba exclaimed in relief when he had gone.

"It's still going to be a couple more days before we reach the Emerald City, though," Fiyero pointed out.

"True," Elphaba conceded with a sigh. "By the time we get there, we'll have missed at least half of the exhibition."

"I'll see if the coachmen can do anything to get us there any faster," Fiyero said. "But for now, we'd best get packed up and ready to hit the road."

"We should have breakfast first, though," Elphaba said. "Can I trust you to collect the eggs this time?" At Fiyero's expression, she laughed. "Okay, okay, I'll go. You just pack your things and douse the fire."

By the time Elphaba came back with four eggs, Fiyero had not only done as she had asked, but he had also folded up the linen they had used and returned it to its rightful place.

Half an hour later, Elphaba and Fiyero had packed and restored the cottage to order. They met the carriage out the front and Elphaba climbed in, Fiyero following close behind. He sat down and looked up in time to see Elphaba reclaiming her previous seat. He frowned.

"Why are you sitting there?"

"Because this is my seat," Elphaba replied.

"You don't _have_ to sit there, you know," Fiyero hinted.

"I know."

"What I mean is," Fiyero expounded, "you're welcome to sit next to me…if you'd like."

Elphaba met Fiyero's steady gaze and they maintained eye contact for several long moments before Elphaba crumbled, helped along by a lopsided smile and a pat on the seat from Fiyero.

"Alright," Elphaba relented, sliding into the proffered seat.

Fiyero beamed at her as the carriage began to move off. Elphaba gave a tentative smile back, pulled out a book and began to read.

After a few minutes, Fiyero grew restless and began to dig around in his messenger bag. "Gum?"

Elphaba looked up from her book and Fiyero noticed her glasses had slipped down her nose. "I beg your pardon?"

"Would you like some gum?" Fiyero repeated at length, holding out two packets.

"Oh." Elphaba looked hesitantly at the packets in Fiyero's hand. "Ummm…okay."

"What sort would you like?"

Elphaba frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, would you like chewing gum or bubblegum?" Fiyero asked, waving each packet in turn.

Elphaba's eyebrows shot up. "You have both kinds?"

Fiyero shrugged. "Gum addict," he joked.

Elphaba laughed. "Well, I've heard some nasty things about chewing gum, so I think I'll try bubblegum."

Fiyero handed the bubblegum packet to her. "Never had gum before?"

Elphaba shook her head.

"Well, I'll have to teach you how to blow bubbles," Fiyero said with a grin.

"Do you _have_ to blow bubbles?" Elphaba asked flatly as she opened the packet.

"Well, no," Fiyero acknowledged, "but where's the fun if you don't?"

Elphaba unwrapped a stick of gum and grimaced at its pink colouring. "If I blow bubbles with this, I'm going to feel like I'm eating Galinda."

Fiyero looked at Elphaba and burst out laughing. "Well, if Galinda is bubblegum, then the chewing gum must be you."

"I know, I'm such a bad taste in your mouth that you have to spit me out, right?"

"Nope." Fiyero held up his own stick of gum. "It's green. Just like you."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "So you're saying you want to eat me?"

"Well…perhaps just a little taste," Fiyero said with a suggestive wink.

"I thought you agreed to cut the crap," Elphaba said in slight irritation.

Fiyero sighed. "Fine." He popped the gum into his mouth. "I spoke to the coachmen."

"And?" Elphaba asked eagerly, all previous annoyance forgotten.

"They were going to consult us anyway, but they said they can push on through the next couple of nights until we get there. Is that okay?"

"'Is that okay?'" Elphaba repeated disbelievingly, flinging her arms around the neck of a very startled Fiyero. "That's wonderful!"

Fiyero chuckled. "I take it you approve of the plan, then?" he asked, snaking an arm around Elphaba's waist.

"Oh, yes, Fiyero, that's marvellous!" Suddenly aware of their position, Elphaba pulled away, blushing furiously.

Fiyero sensed how awkward things had suddenly become and decided to defuse the situation. "So, I bet you'd like to kiss me now, huh?"

To Fiyero's vast surprise, instead of the scornful, "As if, Tiggular" he was expecting, Elphaba merely lowered her eyes, her blush becoming that much brighter, and murmured, "Dream on, Fiyero" – words which, said as they were, just weren't convincing.

"Oh, I will, baby," Fiyero replied with a slight growl in his voice, watching her closely, "I will." To his great joy, Elphaba ducked her head and buried her nose back in her book. _Well, well, well,_ Fiyero thought as he fought a grin, _wonders never will cease._

Fiyero didn't remember much from the rest of that day, and, when he woke up later on that evening, he realized why.

With a yawn and a stretch, Fiyero slowly blinked his eyes open and glanced around the darkened carriage. The first thing he noticed was that Elphaba was no longer sitting beside him. Upon closer inspection, he found her sitting on the floor of the carriage, her knees pulled to her chest, leaning her back against the opposite door. Her shoulder was lodged beneath the seat and her head rested on top – a most uncomfortable-looking position. Fiyero sighed as he looked as her. _So much for Elphaba falling asleep with her head on my shoulder._

At that moment, Fiyero felt the carriage beginning to slow down before coming to a halt. One of the coachmen appeared at the door nearest to Fiyero.

"Is there something wrong?" Fiyero questioned with a frown.

"Not _per se_, sir," the coachman replied, "but it's started snowing again and we wondered if you might not prefer to take your luggage inside."

Fiyero nodded. "Yes, we will do just that. Thankyou."

The coachman pulled down the suitcases and gave them to Fiyero, who sat them on the seat opposite him. The carriage started off again and Fiyero stole another glance at Elphaba. Noticing her shivering, Fiyero made a split-second decision and opened Elphaba's suitcase. He extracted a coat, then found another jacket of his own and stood, making his way over to where Elphaba sat. He dropped down and squeezed himself in beside her, draping his jacket across them both.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Fiyero whispered.

"There's no need to whisper; I wasn't asleep. And you didn't answer my question," Elphaba said, opening her eyes.

"You looked cold, so I thought I'd come and warm you up," Fiyero explained. "Here, put this on." He held out the coat he had found in Elphaba's suitcase.

"So you decided to sit in my lap?" Elphaba asked drily, even as she accepted her coat and put it on.

"No, but that can be arranged," Fiyero said with a smirk.

"I'd rather you didn't," said Elphaba. "I don't want to end up with two broken legs."

"Are you implying that I'm heavy?" asked Fiyero, pretending to be affronted.

"How should I know? It's not like I've tried to lift you or anything."

"True."

Elphaba's eyes sparkled with mischief as she grinned cheekily up at Fiyero. "But I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if you were."

Fiyero poked out his tongue at her. "You're a cheeky little devil, aren't you?"

"I've said nothing worse than you have," Elphaba pointed out.

"True."

"And you started it."

"True."

"You realize you've said that three times within the last minute?"

"True."

Elphaba rolled her eyes as she gave another shiver.

"Still cold?"

"No."

"Here, move forward."

With a suspicious glance in Fiyero's direction, Elphaba did so, and Fiyero moved over so that he was sitting directly behind her with one leg on either side of her body. He pulled her back to lean against his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

"Better?"

"We'll see," Elphaba grumbled unconvincingly.

They stayed like that until they both fell asleep, and neither woke up until the next morning.

Once again, it was Fiyero who woke first. Immediately, he was aware of a comfortable weight in his arms. The next thing he became aware of was something tickling his face. His nose twitched. Whatever it was, it was certainly soft. Slowly, Fiyero opened his eyes. At first, all he saw was black, but as soon as he moved his head, the black shifted and he realized Elphaba was still in his arms, sound asleep.

Smiling softly at the realization that he had just spent a second night with Elphaba in his arms, Fiyero gently unwound one arm from around Elphaba's waist and brought up his hand to brush a strand of hair away from her face, giving him a better view. He sighed contentedly as he studied her features. They seemed so much softer when she slept. She really was attractive.

"Let me guess: you're staring at me again. Am I right?"

Elphaba's voice startled Fiyero from his thoughts and he hastened to avert his gaze. "No."

Elphaba looked around at Fiyero and watched him carefully for a moment. "It's funny," she commented as she turned back around, "but for someone who makes a habit of regularly practicing being ignorant, you're sure no good at acting that way when you need to."

"When I need to?" Fiyero echoed, raising an eyebrow at her, even though she couldn't see it.

"You know what I mean."

Fiyero playfully tightened his grip on Elphaba's waist and he leant forward so that his chin rested on her shoulder. "No, I don't, actually."

"Neither do I," Elphaba admitted.

Fiyero chuckled – a deep rumble in his chest which vibrated pleasantly against Elphaba's back, making her shiver. "I thought you always knew what you meant?"

It was like that scene in the kitchen all over again. His voice was quiet and husky and his breath tickled her ear. The only difference was that there was no force involved. But this was almost as bad. He had her in the palm of his hand. He was making her feel things she shouldn't be feeling. She had to get away before she did something she would regret.

Elphaba tried to move away from Fiyero, but his hold on her remained firm.

"And just where do you think you're going, hmmm?" He lightly brushed his lips over the shell of her ear. "You're not trying to escape from me, are you?"

"I…"

"It feels like all you ever do is try to run away from me. Now, why is that?" Fiyero mused, trailing a finger down Elphaba's jawbone, caressing it gently.

Elphaba turned her head away from Fiyero's wandering fingers. "I think we've been through this before."

"Oh, that's right," Fiyero said, "you're attracted to me but you're scared to admit it. That's okay; you don't have to tell me."

Okay, maybe she had been a bit hasty in thinking he wasn't using force.

However, at that moment, Fiyero dropped his hand and leant back against the carriage door. "But I won't fight you over it."

Elphaba was surprised at the sudden loss of contact and instantly missed the warmth his touch provided. Her hand subconsciously crept up to her own jaw and she touched the spot where Fiyero's hand had been a moment earlier.

The small action did not go unnoticed by Fiyero and he smirked in satisfaction. "You liked it when I did that?" he questioned casually, unable to resist.

"No." But her voice shook slightly as she denied it.

Fiyero shrugged. "Okay."

Elphaba couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. Was that it? After all that, he wasn't going to pursue this any further? And then she stopped for a moment to consider her thoughts. Did she _want_ him to pursue this? Her mind screamed "no". Even after everything they had discussed a couple of days prior, he still seemed to be the same old Fiyero. Yet, despite that, she felt her traitorous heart whispering "yes".

Elphaba once again made to move away, but Fiyero's voice stopped her.

"You really want to get away from me that badly?"

Surprised at the disappointed tone in his voice, Elphaba looked up at Fiyero. His eyes were filled with a mixture of curiosity and disappointment as they searched hers for an answer.

Elphaba opened her mouth to answer in the affirmative, but the look on his face stopped her and the word caught in her throat. After a moment of hesitation, her head twitched. It was the slightest movement, but it was enough to betray her thoughts. But not only that.

It was enough to prompt Fiyero to kiss her.


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's**** Note:**** I personally love the latter part of this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it, too.  
**

**Glitter-Bunnii: I just loved your review so much; thankyou!**

**Bombafan: CATS and WICKED are my favourite, too! :D *high-five* (Well, two of my top favourites, anyway...*sheepish look*) Anyway, thankyou for your lovely reviews on 'Sardines' & 'For Good'. :)  
**

**PocketSevens: Your review was so beautiful, and there's a particular part that I have to share with everyone:**

**"Having somebody else get to know you in ways beyond what you present to the world is scary; but, in the end, it is so worth it because, if it's the right person, you help each other become better people."**

**I really love that because it's so true.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 7:**

It was different from the first time. It was more how Elphaba had imagined her first kiss would have been if she ever had one, which she had never thought she would. Well, she _had_ had her first kiss, but Fiyero had stolen that from her without a second thought. But now…that was all but a distant – and very hazy – memory.

Elphaba found herself responding to the kiss and she pressed herself closer to Fiyero's body as he pulled her around so that she was facing him properly.

After a few long moments, Fiyero pulled back and looked at Elphaba, cocking his head to the side. "I _am_ attracted to you, Elphaba."

"I don't see how," Elphaba confessed. "I'm not the most normal girl in Oz."

A smile tugged at his lips. "I know."

"I'm not the most sociable person in Oz."

"I know."

"I'm not very good at having fun."

"For Oz' sakes, Elphaba, I _know_!"

"I don't really know anything about romance."

"That's okay."

"I'm not the easiest person to get along with."

"Neither am I."

"I'm very stubborn."

"So am I."

"And I'm _green_!"

"A beautiful colour."

Elphaba was torn between being relieved and being irritated. "You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"Perhaps."

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"You keep coming out with very bad and completely irrelevant arguments." Fiyero thumbed Elphaba's lower lip. "Can't you just be quiet for a change? Your chattering is kind of ruining the moment."

"What moment?"

"This moment." Fiyero kissed her again.

They stayed wrapped in each other's embrace for most of the day, which passed so quickly that both were surprised when night fell. Elphaba had just about drifted asleep when the carriage jerked to a halt.

"Just letting you know," one of the coachmen said when he popped up at the door yet again, "that we're about ten minutes outside the City."

"What time is it?" Elphaba asked drowsily.

"Almost eleven o'clock, ma'am."

"That's late," Elphaba commented to Fiyero once the carriage started off again. "It looks like we'll be going straight to bed as soon as we reach the hotel."

Fiyero raised an eyebrow at her. "Your room or mine?"

Elphaba flushed. "That's not what I meant and you know it. I meant, well, at any rate, _I_ will be going to bed as opposed to worrying about getting dinner or anything. I'll just have a good breakfast in the morning."

"As hungry as I am," Fiyero said, "I'm going to have to agree with you."

Finally, the carriage drew up in front of the hotel at which they were to be staying and the two students hopped out.

"Thank Oz the Emerald City is alive and swinging twenty-four-seven," Fiyero commented, gazing up at the tall, green building. "I'd hate to have had to wait until tomorrow to get into our room."

Elphaba tossed a sleepy glare at him over her shoulder. "You might want to change that to a plural, buddy."

"What?" Fiyero asked innocently. "I said 'rooms'. Didn't I say 'rooms'?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's just get in there."

"My sentiments exactly. Let's go to bed."

"I don't believe you," Elphaba muttered. "You're standing there, looking about ready to fall asleep at any given moment, and yet there you are, flirting outrageously with me. What _is_ it with you?"

Fiyero shot her a grin. "It's a talent."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Fiyero," she said as she went and checked in.

After they had both done so and received their respective room keys, Elphaba immediately took to the stairs and dragged her weary body up to the seventh floor. As she approached her designated room, Elphaba glanced up, frowning when she saw a man casually leaning against the door frame, arms folded across his chest. She squinted in an attempt to clear the blurriness of vision which came with physical tiredness. "Fiyero?"

"Took you long enough." Fiyero grinned.

"How did you get up here before me?" Elphaba demanded.

"I took the lift."

Elphaba looked confused. "There's a lift?"

"Not very observant tonight, are we?" Fiyero teased.

Elphaba stepped around Fiyero and unlocked the door to her room, giving him a sidelong glance which could easily have been mistaken for a glare, even if that wasn't what it was. "Goodnight, Fiyero."

Fiyero pouted playfully. "What, no nightcap?"

"_Goodnight_, Fiyero," Elphaba repeated, a sense of finality about her tone.

"Goodnight, Elphaba," Fiyero called through the door. "I hope you have plenty of dirty dreams about me."

Inside the room, Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Irrepressible idiot," she muttered under her breath; yet she couldn't bring herself to be angry with him. Whether that was due to tiredness or her newly-altered emotional state, she couldn't quite tell. With a shake of her head, Elphaba got changed and crawled under the bedcovers.

The next morning, Elphaba wandered down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. After five days of insufficient nutrition, it felt good to finally eat a proper meal again, and Elphaba celebrated by ordering an extra stack of pancakes.

However, after also sharing those five days with another person, Elphaba, for the first time in her life, actually felt kind of…lonely.

And thus it was that, after breakfast, Elphaba marched back up to the seventh floor – ignoring the lift in favour of the stairs – to seek out Fiyero.

Once she had reached her destination, Elphaba strode up to Fiyero's room and rapped briskly on the green door.

"Is that room service?" Elphaba heard Fiyero call sleepily from the other side of the door.

Elphaba was about to reply in the negative – including a retort about the hotel not doing room service after ten o'clock in the morning, nor without an order – when an idea came to her. With an impish grin, Elphaba put on a fake, higher-pitched, twittering-sounding voice and answered, "Yes, sir, breakfast for room seven-oh-five."

"Just a minute!"

Elphaba heard footsteps approaching, and the door was thrown open a moment later. In front of her stood Fiyero, wearing nothing but a pair of pyjama pants. His hair was messed up in an adorable fashion (though Elphaba would never admit to having such thoughts) and a flirtatious smirk was plastered across his unshaven face – a smirk which quickly faded, before a genuine smile took its place as he realized it was Elphaba standing at the door.

Elphaba grinned in amusement. "Good morning, sunshine. I think you've missed breakfast."

"That's alright; I have all I need right here in front of me," Fiyero replied, reaching for Elphaba's waist – a movement which she neatly side-stepped. At that moment, a gurgling noise was heard.

"Your stomach says otherwise," Elphaba pointed out, causing Fiyero to flush in embarrassment. "How about you get dressed and we go somewhere to get you some food?"

"Sounds good," Fiyero agreed.

"I'll meet you in the foyer," Elphaba told him.

"Okay, I'll just get changed and then I'll meet you there."

"No, no," Elphaba said firmly, "you will not get _changed_; you will get _dressed_."

"What's the diff?" Fiyero asked in confusion.

"Getting 'changed' sounds like you're just going to exchange your pyjama pants for a pair of trousers. I'd rather you put on a shirt as well."

Fiyero grinned. "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure."

"You're not just saying that because you know I'll have girls swooning at my feet and you'll get extremely jealous?"

"Certainly not!" Elphaba said indignantly. "Besides, I think you'd be rather cold out there without a shirt. Five minutes." She looked him up and down. "Better make that ten. And don't forget to shave," she added as she turned to leave. "I don't want to be seen with you if you want to go around looking like a scruffy beggar."

Fiyero laughed as Elphaba disappeared down the hall. He then proceeded to tidy himself up. He briefly considered not shaving just to see Elphaba's reaction, but decided it wasn't worth the risk – afterall, she may not have been joking.

Precisely ten minutes later, Fiyero met Elphaba in the foyer. He was wearing a clean pair of trousers and shirt with his jacket thrown casually over the top, and Elphaba was pleased to see that he had indeed shaved.

"See?" Fiyero pointed to his face as if he had read her mind. "All gone."

"Good," Elphaba said with approval. "You look much better clean-shaven."

"So I should give up my idea of growing a beard, then?" Fiyero joked, his eyes twinkling.

"Definitely," Elphaba said firmly, mentally cringing at the thought of Fiyero with a beard.

Fiyero looked thoughtful for a moment, before he cocked his head and said, "You're right. Why ruin perfection?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes and hit Fiyero on the arm as she walked outside.

"Ow!" Fiyero exclaimed, clutching his arm rather pathetically, in Elphaba's opinion.

"Are you coming or not?" Elphaba called over her shoulder.

"Yes, I'm coming," Fiyero grumbled as he hurried to catch up with her. "Sweet Oz, you walk fast!"

"Why dawdle?" was Elphaba's reply. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

Fiyero couldn't argue with that logic.

They soon found a small café not far down the street and Elphaba sat herself down at one of the outdoor tables while Fiyero went inside to order himself breakfast.

A few minutes later, Fiyero returned carrying an oversized croissant and a large, steaming cup of coffee. "Are you sure you don't want anything?" he asked, sitting down opposite Elphaba. When he received no answer, he looked up to see her staring at the people walking past. Concerned, he leant forward to catch her gaze. "Elphaba? Are you alright?"

Elphaba turned her head to look at Fiyero, shock written over her face.

"Elphaba?" Fiyero reached across the table and touched her hand gently. "What is it?"

"I don't believe it," Elphaba whispered, her eyes wide. "Nobody's pointing…nobody's staring… It's almost as if, for the first time, I'm somewhere I belong." At the realization, a beaming grin spread over her face, lighting up her entire demeanour.

Fiyero smiled softly at her and squeezed her hand, but didn't say anything. He could tell just by looking at her that this was a special moment for her – perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime moment, he thought guiltily – and no words seemed sufficient, so he just kept quiet, not wanting to take away any of the magic.

Elphaba settled back into her chair, and as Fiyero began to eat his croissant, he noticed how much more relaxed she had suddenly become.

A few minutes later, both were startled when a snowball suddenly landed on Elphaba's head, causing the green girl to let out a surprised shriek. Elphaba shook the snow out of her hair with a scowl. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"Actually, Elphaba, I think it was a genuine mistake," Fiyero said, looking over her shoulder.

Elphaba turned around to see what Fiyero meant and found a small boy looking at her with a sheepish expression on his face.

"Sorry, miss!" the boy called, giving a small wave. "I didn't mean to hit you; I was trying to hit my friend to get his attention. I'll have to work on my aim."

Fiyero grinned at the boy. "Would you like some pointers?"

The boy's face immediately lit up. "Oh, would you, mister? That would be awfully good of you."

"No worries." Fiyero stood. "Here, you can have some of my coffee – you look like you could use it," he told Elphaba, before he made his way over to the boy and rolled some snow into a ball. He then proceeded to give the boy a few tips, showing him the best way to ensure he hit his target and so forth.

As she watched Fiyero take up a position a few metres away from the boy and let him pelt the prince with snowballs, a smile sprang unbidden to Elphaba's lips. It was like watching a completely different person, and the sight warmed Elphaba's heart. She absentmindedly took a few sips of Fiyero's coffee, lost in thought. This was a side of Fiyero she would never have guessed had existed.

After about ten minutes or so, Elphaba noticed the pair had finished throwing snowballs and were now occupied with building a snowman.

At that moment, Fiyero looked up and caught her eye. "Hey, Elphaba! Come and help us out here!" he called with a grin.

The boy turned his gaze to her eagerly. "Oh, do say you'll come and help us, miss!" he begged. "Please?"

Elphaba hesitated for a few moments, but Fiyero and the boy both arranged their faces into pleading expressions. "Okay," Elphaba relented, joining the pair in the snow.

"Is that your name?" the boy asked as the three began adding snow to the small figure in front of them. "Elphaba?"

Elphaba nodded. "It is," she confirmed.

"That's a pretty name." The boy turned to Fiyero. "What's your name?"

Fiyero hesitated. He didn't particularly feel like having to deal with all the recognition that day, especially since he rather suspected he would get more than enough attention over the coming days. But on the other hand, he just wanted to be himself. With any luck, the boy might not recognize the name; he was young, afterall, and children of that age often did not take much notice of things that didn't directly concern them, Fiyero had found. Taking the risk, he replied, "Fiyero. And what's your name?"

"Xathu," the boy answered proudly.

The three made aimless chit-chat and continued to build their snowman until Xathu was called away by his mother.

As Xathu stood to leave, he looked wistfully at the nearly-complete snowman, and then at Elphaba. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Elphaba." He turned to Fiyero. "And you, too, Mister Fiyero."

Fiyero ruffled the boy's hair fondly with an indulgent grin. "Take care of yourself, buddy."

"I will. You, too. And you take good care of your pretty girlfriend, too, or I'll marry her myself when I grow up." With that, he scampered off, leaving Fiyero and Elphaba gaping after him.

Finally, Fiyero ran a hand through his hair and gave Elphaba a sidelong glance. "Well…he has no trouble jumping to conclusions, does he?" He gave a nervous chuckle.

Elphaba slowly shook her head. "I'm not sure what shocks me the most – the fact that he thinks we're together, the fact that he thinks I'm pretty, or the fact that he's not averse to the idea of marrying me. Even if he _is_ a child," she added.

Fiyero reached over and tentatively took Elphaba's hand. "I'd say the first, if I had to choose," he murmured, causing Elphaba to blush.

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not," Fiyero insisted, but he refrained from adding anything further. He added some more snow to their figure and etched a face into the top snowball with his finger, then sat back on his heels, cocking his head to the side as he gazed thoughtfully at the snowman. "He doesn't look quite finished, does he?"

Elphaba blinked first at Fiyero, and then at the snowman. "How so?"

Fiyero shrugged. "I don't know. He just…doesn't."

"And what do you propose to do about it?"

Fiyero paused. "I don't know," he eventually admitted. He stood and offered his hand to Elphaba, pulling her up. "I'm going to finish my coffee. That usually helps to stimulate my brain cells."

Elphaba smirked. "Your what?"

Fiyero poked his tongue out at his green companion, and then scooped up a handful of snow and threw it at her. He grinned as she shrieked and brushed the soft powder off herself. "Believe it or not, I do have some. Not that many, I admit, but a few."

"Yes, well, they're obviously not working very well at the moment, because that coffee is going to be _iced_ coffee by now," Elphaba pointed out, returning his grin. "Besides, drinking it after leaving it where anyone could have touched it isn't exactly a smart move."

"Hey, _I_ didn't leave it there!" Fiyero protested.

"No, you just left it with me and then called me away!"

"You could have brought it with you!"

"And held it in one hand whilst I built a snowman with the other? I think not," Elphaba retorted.

Fiyero sighed. "Okay, you have a point. I'll just buy myself a fresh cup." He picked up the abandoned cup and was about to throw it in a nearby bin when he stopped and stared at said cup for a long moment.

"Fiyero?"

Fiyero slowly turned around, a smile spreading across his face. "I've got it!"

"Got what?" Elphaba asked, puzzled.

Fiyero didn't reply; instead, he emptied the cup of its remaining contents and strode back to the snowman. As Elphaba watched with raised eyebrows, he placed the cup upside-down on top of the snowman's head. "There," he said proudly, turning back to Elphaba. "What do you think?"

"What's it supposed to be?" Elphaba asked in confusion.

"A fez!"

Elphaba burst out laughing.

Fiyero pouted. "What?"

"A snowman wearing a fez? Seriously?"

"Why not?"

"Well…" Elphaba trailed off, realizing she had no argument to that. Why not indeed?

Fiyero smirked victoriously. "I'm going to get myself some more coffee."

Elphaba waited for the few minutes it took Fiyero to get his coffee, and then the two strolled a bit further down the street, just drinking in the sight of the Emerald City covered in snow. Everything seemed to shimmer and glisten, and Elphaba felt absolutely overawed as she gazed around in wonder, seeing it properly for the first time that morning.

"Wow," she breathed as they reached the city square. "It doesn't look real. It's like…like a painting or something."

"It's truly magical, isn't it?" Fiyero agreed, taking her hand and squeezing it.

Elphaba was too entranced by the winter wonderland around them to really notice Fiyero's hand in hers, and Fiyero smiled as he watched Elphaba's reaction to it all.

"Come on," Fiyero said once he had finished his second coffee and disposed of the cup. "There's something I want to show you."

Elphaba looked at him curiously and slightly suspiciously. "What is it?"

"Oh, just something I heard about from a friend of a friend of a friend of my cousin's," Fiyero replied airily. "You'll see."

* * *

**Author's Note:**** Massive thanks to Glitter-Bunnii for helping me to come up with Xathu's name!  
**


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's**** Note:**** I've had a number of people asking me if the fez thing was inspired by Doctor Who. I must admit that sadly, I have never watched Doctor Who, so, no, it wasn't intended to be a reference. But hey, feel to free to think of it that way!  
**

**Thanks everyone for your reviews. I really enjoy reading what you all think about everything, so please keep them coming!**

**Thedoctor24601: You have no idea how much I am really loving your reviews. They make me grin like mad and get all happy and excited and then I get the warm-happy-fuzzy feeling inside. I love you (non-creepy way, I promise). I love how you called them "adorable little idiots". :D And I must agree with you: fezzes, bowties and Stetsons are all cool. Especially Stetsons.  
**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter. #OperationFiyeraba is underway. ********(If you don't know what I'm talking about, you need to read 'Dances with princes' by Ultimate Queen of Cliffies. It's amazing.)**  


* * *

**CHAPTER 8:**

"Oh, my Oz!"

Fiyero grinned. "What do you think?"

Elphaba turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling. "Fiyero, it's beautiful."

"I thought you might like it."

Elphaba gazed up at the ice sculpture again. "It looks exactly like the Emerald Palace. Right down to the tiniest detail. This is so amazing. Look at the craftsmanship in there! Wow. Just…wow." She shook her head in wonder.

"There's more." Fiyero led Elphaba around the side of the ice palace and was satisfied to hear her gasp in awe.

"Animals?"

"Apparently, they sculpt an array of different animals each year. Last year, it was sea animals; the year before, woodland creatures. This year, it appears they've decided to do large animals."

"Lions…tigers…bears…" Elphaba murmured as her gaze swept over the detailed figures. "Oh, my! They've even got an elephant and a rhinoceros! And a hippopotamus!"

They spent an hour and a half admiring the various sculptures and were just about to leave when something caught Elphaba's eye. "What's that?" she asked Fiyero, pointing.

"I don't know," Fiyero said, moving towards the ice castle, "but it looks familiar somehow. Let's take a closer look – there should be a name on a sign."

"It's very pretty," Elphaba commented, trailing along behind Fiyero. "I can't _begin_ to imagine what it would be like living in a place like that."

Fiyero made a choked sound of surprise and stumbled back a step. "I can." His voice sounded faint and a bit shaky, and Elphaba glanced at him to see that he looked like he'd seen a ghost.

And then she saw why.

The sign in front of the ice castle read, _'Vinkun Royal Palace'_. And in front of the ice building stood three very royal-looking figures.

"I can't believe they sculpted me!" Fiyero moaned. "It doesn't even _look_ like me! Oz, how embarrassing! They didn't even get my nose right!"

"Are these your parents?" Elphaba asked curiously.

Fiyero nodded. "Supposedly. Man, this is embarrassing! How did I not know about this? I wonder if my parents know?"

"_I_ wonder why your family and your palace have been sculpted," Elphaba mused.

Fiyero buried his hands in his pockets and shrugged, beginning to walk off. "I have no i… Oh."

"What is it?"

"I think I just found out why."

Elphaba followed his gaze to another sign. "'Rulers of Oz Collection'?" She glanced down the row of sculptures and, upon seeing the last one, her eyes widened and she blanched.

The last sculpture was of the mansion at Colwen Grounds, and in front of the building stood a carving of the Governor of Munchkinland, alongside another figure.

It was a girl in a wheelchair.

"Elphaba?"

"I want to leave," Elphaba announced.

Confused, Fiyero turned around to see what had caused Elphaba to suddenly tense up again. At first, he wasn't quite sure what he was looking at, but then he recognized the girl sitting in the chair. "Is that Nessarose?"

Elphaba nodded stiffly, but Fiyero, still facing away from her, didn't see.

"Don't tell me that's your father as well." Again, silence. "Where are you?"

Elphaba swallowed hard, and then managed to choke out, "I don't exist."

Fiyero looked at her, clearly baffled. "What do you mean, you don't exist? You're here, aren't you?"

"In my father's eyes," Elphaba explained, "I don't exist. At least, not in public. Therefore I don't exist _to_ the public."

Elphaba could see Fiyero getting angry as she spoke, and she was quite taken aback by his reaction.

"But he's your _father_!" Fiyero cried out, appalled.

Elphaba shrugged, averting her gaze. "That's just how things are," she said quietly. "Always have been."

Fiyero shook his head in disbelief. "I had no idea."

"No-one does." She turned her large, brown eyes onto him. "You won't tell anyone about this, will you? About the ice sculptures or what I told you?"

"I won't," Fiyero promised.

"Not even Nessa. She mustn't know about this. Promise me you won't say anything," Elphaba all but begged.

"Promise."

Elphaba sighed with relief. "Thankyou."

"I'm so sorry. No wonder you can be a bit prickly towards people. I apologize again for the way I've treated you in the past."

"Don't," Elphaba said, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. Let's just go."

"Sure." Fiyero guided Elphaba out of the ice exhibition building and the pair were soon seated in Fiyero's hotel room. He then called room service and ordered them a light lunch.

Once it had been delivered, the two ate in silence. Fiyero wanted to talk to Elphaba, but he wasn't sure what he could say without upsetting her.

Then there was the fact that she was with him in his room. Just the two of them. Alone. He really wanted to make the most of that time, but he wasn't sure now was the right time. But she was sitting right beside him, and if he just shuffled closer…

Fortunately, Elphaba saved him the trouble, moving closer to him instead. "Thanks for today. It was lovely."

Fiyero gave a small sigh. "I'm sorry that ice exhibition didn't work out. I thought it would be a nice thing to go and see together…"

Elphaba shook her head at that. "It's okay. Really. Yes, seeing that particular scene did upset me a bit, but it's not like I can do anything about it. I've just got to accept it and move on. Regardless, it was still really lovely."

Fiyero didn't look convinced, but he didn't make any further comment. Instead, he let his arm drop around Elphaba's shoulders and pulled her against his side. "I still can't get over that kid thinking you were my girlfriend, though," he said with a chuckle.

"Me, neither," Elphaba agreed. "Afterall, who would want to date me?"

"That's not what I meant," Fiyero admonished gently, and Elphaba sighed.

"It's true, though."

"No, it's not."

"Okay, name one person who would want to date me."

"Me."

Elphaba looked up, startled, and pulled away slightly. "What? Are you asking me out?"

"Well, no, because I'm not entirely sure you would accept; but I'm not averse to the idea," Fiyero said. "In fact, I quite…_like_ it."

Elphaba leant back a bit as she stared at him suspiciously, and Fiyero couldn't help but laugh at her expression.

"I'm serious," he insisted. "But I won't press the matter. It's just…I enjoy being with you – talking to you – now that I know you better."

Finally, Elphaba gave a shy smile, and she reached out to run her hand down Fiyero's cheek. "I still can't believe this. You…me…"

"Us." Fiyero leant down and pressed his lips to Elphaba's, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

Elphaba quickly pulled back again. "Wait, 'us'?"

Fiyero nodded, sliding his nose along her cheek. "It kind of has a nice ring, don't you think?"

Elphaba blushed, fiddling nervously with one of Fiyero's shirt buttons. "I…"

One of Fiyero's hands lightly crept up Elphaba's back to rest on her neck, causing Elphaba to catch her breath at the sensation, and she accidentally pushed the button back through its hole. She bit her lip. "Oops."

Fiyero chuckled as his fingers began playing with the small wisps of hair at the base of her skull. "I don't mind," he whispered playfully.

Embarrassed, Elphaba fumbled to do the button back up, but Fiyero stopped her by placing his other hand over hers. "Leave it – it's fine. I was beginning to feel a bit warm, anyway."

"What's happening between us?" Elphaba whispered back.

"What would you _like_ to happen between us?" Fiyero countered.

Elphaba was silent for a moment, still not looking at him, before she shrugged. "I…I don't know," she admitted finally.

"Then why don't we just see what _can_ happen, hmmm?" Fiyero suggested, leaning in to kiss her again.

They stayed in Fiyero's room all afternoon, and Fiyero ordered dinner for them both. By the time Elphaba left, she was heavily flushed, her lips were swollen and her hair was an absolute mess; but she looked the most radiant Fiyero had ever seen her. He himself was grinning like mad, and a couple more buttons on his shirt had come undone.

That night, a storm rolled in across the Emerald City.

Elphaba was just drifting off to sleep when she heard an urgent-sounding knock coming from outside. Glancing at the clock, she dragged herself out of bed to answer the door.

"Fiyero?" She blinked sleepily. "What are you doing here? It's almost one o'clock in the morning!"

"I…couldn't sleep," Fiyero answered, his voice uncharacteristically small. At that moment, a particularly-loud crack of thunder boomed through the night, causing Fiyero to flinch noticeably and clutch what Elphaba realized was a pillow closer to his chest; and suddenly, she understood.

"You don't like storms." It was a statement rather than a question.

Fiyero shook his head, relieved that Elphaba hadn't asked if he was afraid of them, and entered the room as the green girl held the door open for him.

"I'm not a fan of them, either," Elphaba confessed. "I don't mind lightning so much, but thunder…"

"Same. Do you mind if we switch on one of the lights?"

"Not at all." Elphaba did so, and Fiyero's sigh of relief was audible from the other side of the room. "Would you like some warm milk?" Elphaba offered.

"That would be lovely; thanks." He paused. "Sorry for crashing in on you like this; I hope I didn't wake you up or anything."

Elphaba threw him a reassuring smile. "It's fine. Really."

"I did remember to put on a shirt before I came," Fiyero rattled on.

"I noticed."

"It's just that –"

"Fiyero!" Elphaba sounded exasperated, but she was smiling. "It's fine. Really. I understand."

Fiyero looked at her meekly. "Okay."

Elphaba set about making two mugs of warm milk while Fiyero sat down on the edge of the bed, cringing every time he heard the rumble of thunder.

"Here," Elphaba said soothingly, prying the pillow from Fiyero's grasp and replacing it with one of the mugs. "This might help you sleep."

Fiyero took the mug gratefully. "Thanks."

Elphaba sat down beside him and took a sip from her own mug. "I must admit I'm a bit surprised you came here," Elphaba said after a while.

"I trust you not to laugh at me," Fiyero replied simply with a shrug. "Besides, I don't usually have anyone I can go to. It's a nice change."

"What do you usually do?" Elphaba questioned softly.

"At Shiz? I usually just curl up in a ball, let myself be scared and not get any sleep."

Elphaba frowned. "That doesn't sound very healthy," she commented.

Fiyero gave another shrug. "It's the only way I know how to cope."

"Well, what about when you're at home? Can't you go to your parents or something?"

Fiyero shook his head. "They don't know."

"They don't know?" Elphaba repeated slightly incredulously.

"They think I grew out of it," Fiyero explained. "I really have no desire for them to keep thinking of me as their little boy who still needs rocking to sleep when there happens to be a storm."

"So what do you do, then?"

"I usually go down to the library and read."

Elphaba looked over at him in surprise. "Really?"

"No need to sound so surprised," Fiyero teased her lightly with a chuckle. "I did tell you I could read."

"Sorry," Elphaba apologized. "It's just that I… Nevermind. Is that how you learnt to read so fast?"

Fiyero nodded. "Yeah, I've found it helps take my mind off things if I read quickly."

"Well, I've got plenty of books if you want…"

"It's okay," Fiyero said, reaching for her hand. "Just talking to you is helping. Really." He smiled, and Elphaba returned it. "Thanks for the milk," he added.

"Would you like some more?" Elphaba asked, standing and reaching for his mug.

"No, thanks, I'm right. Besides, I should probably get back to my own room and let you get some sleep."

"You don't have to do that," Elphaba protested shyly. "I mean…well…I guess you could stay here for the night…"

"I couldn't impose on you like that."

"I don't think I'd be able to sleep knowing you were next door unable to sleep yourself because of the storm," Elphaba countered. "Stay. I don't mind. Really."

"Well…if you're sure…"

"I'm sure."

Fiyero stood and wrapped Elphaba in a grateful hug. "Thankyou," he whispered in her ear. After a moment, he stepped back. "I just hope I fit on that couch," he commented, eyeing the small sofa worriedly.

"You can take the bed," Elphaba told him.

"That wasn't a hint," Fiyero protested. "I was just saying –"

"I was going to offer you the bed, anyway," Elphaba interrupted.

"But I don't want to make _you_ sleep on the couch…"

"Then I'll take the floor," Elphaba said simply.

Fiyero looked horrified. "I couldn't let you do that!" he cried. "Not after all those nights spent on the floor of that cottage."

"Fiyero, it will be fine –"

"No," Fiyero said firmly. "You're not sleeping on the floor."

Elphaba crossed her arms. "Then what do you propose I do?"

Fiyero lifted one eyebrow ever-so-slightly.

Elphaba blushed. "Fiyero –"

"We've already spent several nights together," Fiyero pointed out.

"Yes, but not in a bed," Elphaba retorted nervously.

"It may as well have been." But Elphaba still looked unconvinced. "Look, if I do anything untoward, I give you permission to slap me."

Elphaba hesitated. "Change that to 'permission to hex you' and you've got a deal."

Fiyero laughed. "Done."

"Do you want me to leave the light on?" Elphaba asked as Fiyero slipped into the bed.

"No, it's okay; you can switch it off. Unless _you_ prefer it on, that is," Fiyero added.

"I always sleep with the light off," Elphaba said as she flicked the switch and made her way over to the bed. She got in, careful not to touch Fiyero, and settled under the blankets.

Everything was silent for a little while until they heard another clap of thunder and Fiyero's hand instinctively shot out, groping for Elphaba's. The green girl found his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. At the next thunderclap, Fiyero's grip on her hand tightened painfully.

"Sorry," he apologized when she grunted.

"I have a better idea: Why don't you move closer to the middle of the bed."

"Why?" He sounded confused.

"Don't question; just do," Elphaba replied, trying to sound brisk.

Fiyero complied, and Elphaba did the same. Then she turned over onto her side to face Fiyero and wrapped her arms around his waist. She nestled her head under Fiyero's arm and sighed.

"There," she told him. "Now you can squeeze me instead of crushing all the delicate bones in my hand."

"You don't mind?"

Elphaba paused, before letting out a quiet, "No."

Fiyero smiled into the darkness and turned his head to drop a gentle kiss into Elphaba's hair.

They settled into silence once more and Elphaba was on the verge of sleep when Fiyero's arms suddenly crushed her harder and he let out a quiet whimper. Elphaba was immediately awake again. She sat up slightly and raised her hand to cup Fiyero's cheek, stroking it gently. "Shhh, it's okay," she comforted him. "Just try not to think about it. It can't hurt you." She smoothed back his hair and dropped a light kiss on his lips.

"You promise?" Fiyero's voice was so small, it was like that of a child's; and Elphaba's heart melted.

"I promise," she confirmed, still smoothing his hair. Tenderly, she began kissing his face – his cheeks, his nose, chin and forehead – before finally coming back to his lips.

As she went to pull away, however, Fiyero wouldn't let her, and Elphaba realized that his lips were still firmly attached to hers.

When Fiyero finally broke away, they were both breathing hard. "Sorry," Fiyero said after a moment. "I promised to behave myself, didn't I?"

"It's okay; I won't hex you."

"You mean you're going to settle for slapping me?"

Elphaba chuckled and kissed him again.

"I was serious, you know," Fiyero said when they came up for air. "I took your threat seriously."

"I was serious at the time," Elphaba replied. "But I don't feel like carrying through with it now."

Fiyero smiled. "Good." He rolled over so that Elphaba was lying partially under him. "Because I'm rather beginning to enjoy this."

Elphaba trailed her hand down to rest on Fiyero's chest, and her fingers once again began their coy dance with the buttons of his shirt. She could feel the hard muscles beneath as he lay propped up on one elbow. "Me, too," Elphaba admitted quietly.

The darkness enveloping them seemed to bring a heightened sense of intimacy, and by the time they began to grow drowsy, the pair were thoroughly mussed up and Fiyero's shirt had taken up residency somewhere on the floor.

Fiyero wrapped Elphaba tightly in his arms and kissed her one last time. "Goodnight, Elphaba."

* * *

**Author's Note:**** And yes, there is a Tangled reference in here. ;)**


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:****#OperationFiyeraba has been successful.  
**

******I'm really glad you all like the WoZ and Tangled references in there. I was rather proud of them myself. :)**

**This is chapter is majorly fluff-heavy. Like, majorly so. The part I'm referring to was a scene I wasn't going to include, but when I commented that I really wanted to write a fluffy scene there, Maddy told me that if I wanted to include a fluffy Fiyeraba scene, I should, because really, can you ever have too many Fiyeraba scenes in a fic? So I threw caution to the wind and...this came out. I thought it was too much, but Maddy's comment was, "****You can never have too much Fiyeraba fluff!**" So it stayed. So, just in case I really did overdo it this time...blame Maddy. *points at her* *shifty eyes*

**Also, we've surpassed the 50-review mark - thankyou so much! Virtual pie for Guest for being the 50TH reviewer! :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER 9:**

The morning light woke Elphaba somewhere around half-past eight. The storm appeared to have passed, and Elphaba blinked her eyes open to find herself staring at someone's bare chest. It took her a moment to remember the events of the night before, and when she did, Elphaba blushed rather heavily. She just hoped Fiyero wouldn't regret it too much when he realized just who it was he had been with.

Elphaba glanced up at Fiyero's face. He was completely still and he looked so much more peaceful than he had when he had come to her the previous night. The sun filtered in through the curtains and played over Fiyero's face and chest, highlighting the curves, angles and muscles. Elphaba smiled softly. She just lay there for a while, studying his features and trying to resist the urge to trace them with her fingers.

After a bit, Fiyero stirred slightly and his eyes fluttered open. Elphaba watched as he blinked up at the ceiling, ran a hand across his eyes, exhaled heavily, blinked some more, and then finally looked down at her. A smile slowly spread across his face.

"Hey," he said softly.

Elphaba's heart fluttered in her chest. "Hey," she returned quietly, reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair away from Fiyero's forehead.

Fiyero caught her hand and brought it to his lips to plant a kiss at the base of her palm, before craning his neck downwards to kiss Elphaba's lips. "Were you watching me sleep?"

"Payback for all those times when you startled me by staring at me when I opened my eyes," Elphaba teased lightly, before asking, "Did you sleep well?"

"Best I've ever slept during a storm," Fiyero told her contentedly. "Thanks for letting me stay."

Elphaba gave a half-shrug. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not _completely_ heartless."

A pained looked flashed briefly across Fiyero's face, but it was gone so quickly that Elphaba was unsure if it had ever been there.

Fiyero sighed as his fingers began to comb themselves through Elphaba's hair. "I suppose we should get up soon, huh? What time does this thing start today?" he asked, glancing over at the clock.

"Eh, we've got plenty of time. The seminar doesn't start until two. We have to be there at one-thirty." Elphaba closed her eyes and buried her face in Fiyero's chest as she yawned.

Fiyero chuckled. "This must be a first. Elphaba Thropp not wanting to get up early?"

Elphaba hit him lightly at his teasing. "You're comfortable," she informed him by way of explanation.

Fiyero quirked an eyebrow at her. "You don't want to get up because of me?"

Elphaba blushed as she realized how that had sounded.

"Well," Fiyero said brightly, "I have no issue with staying in bed all day."

"I'm sure you have," Elphaba retorted drily.

Fiyero grinned. "Is it worth us going?" he asked thoughtfully after a moment. "I mean, we've already missed one. Don't we need to have been to the first seminar so we know what they're going on about?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes and made to get up, but Fiyero tightened his grasp on her, effectively stopping her attempts.

"No, I'm serious," he insisted. "I'm not trying to get out of it; I just thought we might be rather left behind."

Elphaba sighed. "Fiyero, the topics of the seminars aren't directly connected; so, no. There shouldn't be any references to the other seminar because they've got a different presenter for this one."

"Oh, I see. Well, that's alright, then."

"Can I still count on you to be serious and polite?" Elphaba asked, reminding him of his promise.

Fiyero nodded. "Of course. Anything." He dropped a kiss onto her lips.

"'Anything'?" Elphaba repeated, raising an eyebrow. "That's a brainless thing to say to someone like me."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, you never know _what_ I may do with all that power," she joked.

"Hopefully something that involves you, me and kissing." Fiyero winked, his eyes twinkling.

Elphaba blushed, not knowing how to respond to that.

Fiyero saved her the trouble, however, when he suddenly pinned her beneath him and attacked her neck with soft kisses. The gentleness was enough to bring giggles bubbling from Elphaba's lips, and Fiyero drew back in surprise. "Are you giggling?" he asked in amusement.

"Don't be silly – I don't _giggle_," Elphaba said, trying to sound indignant but failing.

"It sounded an awful lot like giggles."

"Well, maybe I'm just the teensiest bit ticklish…" she admitted.

Fiyero grinned. "Are you, now?"

Elphaba let out a small shriek as Fiyero resumed his activity, and he was soon laughing along with Elphaba's giggles.

"I never saw you as a giggly sort of person," Fiyero said, nuzzling Elphaba's jawline with his nose.

"I'm not."

"You mean this is all just my influence? I'm honoured."

As Elphaba's giggles began to subside, Fiyero swooped in for one last, lingering kiss, before rolling off her and heading into the bathroom. As he walked, Elphaba's attention couldn't help but be drawn to Fiyero's bare back, and she blushed even as she admired the strong muscles on display.

"Nice view?"

Elphaba's blush deepened and she averted her gaze. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" she asked instead of answering as she got up and made her way over to the kitchen area.

"Yes, please," Fiyero called back, and Elphaba switched on the jug.

By the time he got back, two steaming cups of coffee were sitting on the bench and the curtains were open.

"You know," Fiyero commented, picking up one of the mugs, "I like you with your hair out."

Elphaba screwed up her nose and ran a hand through said hair. "Not like this, surely. It's an absolute mess."

"It still looks pretty," Fiyero argued, coming closer. He reached out a hand and played with the tips for a moment. "It's so long. I wish you wouldn't plait it all the time."

"It's easier to manage if I plait it. That way it doesn't get quite so knotty."

"So no chance of you wearing it out this afternoon, then?" Fiyero asked, sounding disappointed.

"None whatsoever," Elphaba said firmly. "But…maybe tomorrow morning?"

Fiyero smiled. "Good."

Elphaba ducked her head and reached around Fiyero for her coffee. "I suppose you'll be wanting to get back to your own room soon," she commented casually, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"Trying to get rid of me already?" Fiyero's words were light, but Elphaba could see the faint look of hurt in his eyes.

"No!" Elphaba protested quickly. "That's not what I meant at all. I just figured that you'd be wanting to shave or something." She shrugged.

Fiyero leant closer to Elphaba and lightly grazed his cheek across hers. "Why, am I too whiskery for you?"

Elphaba swatted at Fiyero and pulled away, rubbing her cheek. "Yes. You feel like a cactus."

Fiyero laughed.

"And I don't want whisker burn again."

"Did I give you some the other day?" Fiyero asked, looking abashed.

"Surprisingly, no," Elphaba assured him. "I was only joking."

Relief instantly washed across Fiyero's face.

"What I was going to say, though, was that it's going to look, uh…" – Elphaba blushed – "…rather suspicious, isn't it? I mean, you coming out of my room to return to yours at this hour of the morning still wearing your pyjamas."

Fiyero made a face. "I guess I didn't think things through properly last night."

"Yes, well, neither did I," Elphaba admitted in a murmur. "Afterall, I was the one who insisted you stayed the night. You originally came with no intention of staying."

"But I should have –"

"Fiyero!" Elphaba said firmly. "Let's not fight about it. Drink your coffee. And you should probably put your shirt back on."

Fiyero glanced down, pretending to be surprised. "Why? What's wrong with me not wearing a shirt?"

Elphaba's blush darkened. "You don't want to get cold."

Fiyero shrugged. "If I do, I've got you here to warm me up."

"…I'm not quite sure how to take that."

"As a compliment, my dear," Fiyero whispered, setting aside his mug and wrapping his arms around the green girl. "Being with you is the best way I can think of to warm up."

Elphaba glanced up at him suspiciously. "That sounds like one of those lines you use on floozies."

Fiyero sighed, and Elphaba could smell the coffee on his breath. She quickly learnt that the mixture of coffee and Fiyero made for a rather heady aroma. She swallowed hard.

"I didn't intend for it to sound like that. I was being completely serious."

Elphaba shook her head in denial and took a nervous sip of her coffee. "Fiyero –"

"Elphaba, I'm not lying to you. I've never lied to you." He took Elphaba's cup from her hands and set it down beside his own. "And yet you still don't believe I fancy you, do you? Even after last night."

"Last night, there was a storm," Elphaba pointed out flatly. "You don't like storms."

Fiyero jerked back so suddenly that Elphaba almost lost her balance. "That's all last night was to you?" he demanded sharply. "A bit of placating for me?"

Elphaba winced. "No, of course not," she snapped in return. "But I thought…I thought that was all it was to you," she finished in a whisper.

Fiyero whirled around and began to pace, continuously running his hands through his hair.

Elphaba watched on, baffled, as Fiyero stormed up and down the room, muttering under his breath.

Finally, Fiyero turned back to her, strode over, clasped Elphaba's hands in his and pulled her over to sit beside him on the end of the bed. "If I just wanted a bit of placating, I wouldn't have let it get so far. I would have settled for holding you in my arms. Don't get me wrong, I _wanted_ to kiss you; but I didn't want to take advantage of the situation. But when you kissed me…I just… I found that I couldn't restrain myself any longer. I couldn't help kissing you like that. I wanted it, too. Yes, it helped me forget about the storm," he acknowledged with an inclination of his head, "but that wasn't the reason for last night at all – far from it. The reason was simply that…I wanted you. Because I fancy you. I meant what I said yesterday about dating you."

Elphaba was silent for a long time, unsure of what to think about Fiyero's admission. She began chewing her bottom lip, her eyes darted around the room, and she absentmindedly played with Fiyero's fingers.

Finally, she asked quietly, "Are you asking me out?"

"Would it be such a problem if I did?"

Elphaba shrugged. "I'd like to think not," she told him quietly, "but I really don't think that's the best idea."

Fiyero frowned. "Why not?" He leant forward, trying to make eye contact.

Elphaba sighed heavily. "It just…wouldn't. For a number of reasons."

"Such as?"

"Well," Elphaba said after a slight pause, "imagine getting back to Shiz and having to explain to everyone that you're suddenly dating the Green Bean."

"Elphaba –"

"Imagine it."

Fiyero did. He grimaced.

"Exactly."

"I don't care about that."

Elphaba placed a gentle hand on Fiyero's chest. "But I do. So let's just leave it at that."

Fiyero's shoulders slumped as he realized he wasn't going to win this one. "Does this mean…" He swallowed.

Elphaba finally looked him in the eyes. She raised a hand to cup his cheek. "We've still got the rest of this trip," she assured him softly. "But once we get back to Shiz…I'm afraid that will have to be it."

Fiyero bit his lip and nodded as Elphaba looked at him with regret. Instinctively, she leant forward and pressed her lips to his.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Fiyero gave a sad almost-smile. "Me, too."

"Look," Elphaba said after a long moment, "I'm going to get myself tidied up. Why don't you go back to your room and do the same, and I'll meet you down in the hotel restaurant for breakfast."

Hesitantly, Fiyero nodded. "Okay." He slowly got up and retrieved his shirt from its spot on the floor; but before he could put it on, Elphaba was standing in front of him and tugging it from his grasp.

"Just a moment," she said at his questioning look. "I just realized that I may never get this chance again, so I might as well make the most of it. And if I make a complete and utter fool of myself, I'm sure I can find a spell to erase your memory."

"What are you doing?" Fiyero asked in confusion.

"Something I hope I don't regret." Elphaba deposited the shirt back onto the floor and pushed Fiyero down onto the bed.

"Elphaba –"

"If you really want me, you're going to get me. Now shut up, Tiggular," Elphaba growled, "and let me kiss you."

That, Fiyero did happily as Elphaba hovered above him and crashed her lips hungrily down on his. The coffee on their breaths mingled pleasantly and Elphaba suddenly felt bolder than she had ever been. She trailed her lips along Fiyero's jawline and down his throat, pausing for a moment to press a firm kiss to his Adam's apple, causing Fiyero to let out a low moan.

"Oz, Elphaba," he breathed huskily. "What are you _doing_ to me?"

Elphaba placed another kiss on the base of his neck, eliciting a small gasp, before she worked her way back up to Fiyero's lips.

The next thing she knew, Fiyero had flipped them over and deepened the kiss.

"I think the question," Elphaba managed to gasp out when they came up for air some moments later, "is more like, 'What are _you_ doing to _me_?'"

"Does this mean you _are_ attracted to me, afterall?"

Elphaba nodded breathlessly. "I never thought I'd be attracted to anyone," she admitted once she had somewhat regained control of her breathing, "especially with the way people treat me. But you…you are a different story. You've changed all that for me. If only for a few days."

Fiyero smiled. "I'm glad." He ran his hands down Elphaba's sides, then moved them up to tangle in her hair as Elphaba's hands came to rest just below Fiyero's shoulders. Fiyero leant down to nibble lightly on her earlobe, and Elphaba reached forward to place a gentle kiss on the smooth skin of Fiyero's chest. The green girl heard his sharp intake of breath, but she was distracted when Fiyero bit down on her ear.

"Ow!" she yelped.

Fiyero instantly pulled away, looking guilty. "I'm so sorry!" he apologized hastily. "I didn't mean to do that. Are you alright?" His eyes searched Elphaba's worriedly, and the green girl smiled.

"I'm fine," she assured him, rubbing her ear. "It was just a small nip, really."

Fiyero breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm sorry about that. You just kind of startled me with that kiss, that was all," he explained.

Elphaba grimaced. "Sorry. I'm not very good at this. I mean, I've never had any experience, so I don't really know what to do, and I'm just kind of –"

Fiyero cut her off with another kiss. "I know that," he told her when they broke apart. "And you don't have to apologize."

"But I obviously did the wrong thing…"

"No, you didn't."

Elphaba blinked up at him, surprised at his firm tone of voice. "I didn't?"

Fiyero shook his head.

"But I…don't understand. I mean, the way you reacted… How can that not have been the wrong thing to do?"

"Because that kiss? It felt good. Like, really, really good. Like, amazing. I hadn't expected it to feel anything like that."

Elphaba blushed. "Really?"

"Really." Fiyero leant forward to lightly skate his lips over Elphaba's jawline, making her shiver. "See, that's what happens when a guy is strongly attracted to a girl – the girl suddenly has the guy in the palm of her hand. Us poor blokes haven't got a chance."

Elphaba threw back her head and laughed at the way he had phrased it, and she was rewarded with a line of soft kisses down the column of her neck. Soon, her breathing became a bit irregular, and Fiyero grinned.

"Now you know how you make _me_ feel," he murmured against her skin.

"You're having me on," Elphaba gasped out.

Fiyero sat back on his heels and studied her. After a few moments, he said, "If you know what to look for, you'll find proof of it every time we do something. Remember when I said I could read your body language and thus determine your true feelings for me? Or something to that effect?"

Elphaba nodded.

"Well, it's easy, really; you don't necessarily have to be experienced to pick up the signs. Here." He rolled onto his back to lie beside Elphaba and spread himself out. "Go on. Have your wicked way with me." Fiyero winked.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Fiyero, this is madness."

"Hey, this is no time to suddenly go shy on me. I'm giving you full permission to do whatever you want with me. Surely you're not going to pass up such an opportunity?" he teased. "No-one has _ever_ been given this chance before."

"Really?"

"Really."

Elphaba hesitated. It was such a tempting offer. Never again would she have an attractive, bare-chested man lying on a bed before her, urging her to do whatever she liked. She bit her lip. Should she?

Fiyero made the decision for her, though, when he took her hand and placed it just below his sternum. "I'm starting you off," he explained.

Elphaba trailed her fingers lightly over the smooth skin of Fiyero's chest and stomach, watching closely for his reaction. She was taken aback to see Fiyero's eyes flutter closed and a blissful smile take its place on his lips. Gathering her courage, Elphaba lightly touched her lips to Fiyero's navel, and her head shot up as his body convulsed and a loud gasp escaped his lips. Elphaba stared at him with wide eyes. "Are you alright?" she asked anxiously, sitting up.

Fiyero laughed softly and raised his head to look at her. "I'm fine. Never better."

Elphaba frowned in confusion. "You mean…"

Fiyero reached down and pulled her up to lie on his chest. "That's the reaction I was talking about. That's what you do to me."

Elphaba's eyes widened even further. "I do?"

Fiyero nodding, smiling. "You do. Attraction is a powerful thing, Elphaba."

"Yes, I…I'm beginning to see that."

Fiyero buried his face in Elphaba's hair and sighed. "I wish this didn't have to end," he mumbled.

"So do I," Elphaba agreed quietly.

"Then let's make the most of these couple of hours we have together."


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's**** Note:**** Apologies for the wait. Went down with a cold last week which did not make it very fun to try and read off a computer screen. Thus, I just tried to recover as best I could before a flute performance I had yesterday (which went well). But now I'm back, so all's good.**

**Glad you all liked the fluff in the previous chapter!**

**Glitter-Bunnii and Ultimate Queen of Cliffies: You two can have your choice of virtual pie (*muahahaha*) or virtual cookies (Boqs) for picking up all of my favourite lines AND for both noting a lot of the same lines as each other. I just really loved that, so you can choose which you get. :P**

**Glitter-Bunnii: Glad you mentioned the knotty hair line, because that's me exactly. And haha, yes! *fistpump* Mission accomplished! Got Glitter-Bunnii to do the gasp-snort-choke-double take thingy. :D**

**that girl: Awww, thankyou so, so much for the beautiful compliment. Coming back from a short absence to such a heartwarming review makes being sick so worth it. :)**

**I really, really hope you all like the last part of this chapter. Personally, it's my favourite part of the entire story and although I had more fun writing other parts (like the chicken and egg scene back in Chapter 4), I really enjoyed writing this because there's a bit more depth to it.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 10:**

What had she done?

Elphaba put her head in her hands, feeling absolutely mortified with herself.

She had not only fallen for a man, but she had let him share her bed, and then attempted to seduce him. That's what she had done.

Who was this girl?

Just a few days ago, she had been Elphaba Thropp – sarcastic, stubborn, intelligent, untouchable. _Green_.

Now, she was Elphaba Thropp – weak, brainless, perhaps utterly stupid, perhaps downright insane. Seductress.

And still green.

Oz, what was _wrong_ with her? How stupid was she? How had this happened? How had she let her heart rule her head?

What must Fiyero think of her now?

What would people think of her if this got out?

What would Galinda think about her seducing the blonde's ex-boyfriend?

What would Nessarose think if she knew?

What would her father think?

Oh, Oz, her _father_! What would he do? Elphaba felt sick at the thought.

Granted, they hadn't done anything more than kiss and touch…but still. She had to make sure this never got out.

But how could she face Fiyero now? She was supposed to meet him downstairs for breakfast – well, brunch, really – in ten minutes. Elphaba found herself wishing she had never made that suggestion.

No, that suggestion wasn't so bad.

She wished she had never come on to Fiyero like that. What an embarrassment.

If only she had a spell to erase his memory like she had said. A spell to erase her own memory would be just as good.

Her father was right. She was an abomination.

"Well," Elphaba said sarcastically to her reflection in the mirror, "that's one way to humiliate myself." She sighed heavily, imagining her next 'mini sleep-over' with Galinda.

_Galinda: What's your most embarrassing moment ever?  
Elphaba: The time when I tried to seduce your ex-boyfriend in a hotel room._

Yeah, that would go down well. She groaned.

Elphaba debated skipping brunch entirely and just staying in her room instead, but forced herself to make an appearance when she realized that Fiyero would be waiting for her. No matter how embarrassed she felt, she didn't want to hurt him by not showing up. So she got changed, ran a brush through her hair and dragged herself downstairs.

When she reached the dining room, Fiyero was already waiting for her at a table tucked away in the back corner of the restaurant. Elphaba blushed at the intimacy the position suggested.

He looked almost nervous, she noted as she approached the table. Was that her fault? Was he afraid she'd jump him again?

But when he looked up and saw her, his face softened and a smile graced his handsome countenance. Fiyero sprang up and eagerly offered her a seat.

Elphaba sat down, ducking her head in thanks, unable to meet his eyes.

"I was afraid you might not come."

"I almost didn't," Elphaba admitted.

Fiyero placed two fingers under her chin and lifted her head to meet his gaze. "Elphaba? What's wrong?" he asked gently.

Elphaba sighed, before bursting out, "I feel like such a fool. I'm surprised _you_ showed up."

"Of course I did."

"I thought I'd have scared you off," Elphaba confessed.

"Never," Fiyero declared. He paused. "But you…you sound like you regret it. Do you regret it?"

Elphaba hesitated. "I don't regret what happened between us, I suppose…but I regret the way I did it," she answered quietly. "It's all rather embarrassing, and I didn't exactly leave you with much choice. I'm sorry."

Fiyero shook his head and placed his hands over hers, leaning in towards her. "Don't apologize. I could have easily got myself out of there had I wanted to. But I didn't want to. I chose to stay, and I'm glad I did because I loved every moment of it, and I'll never forget what we shared."

Elphaba flushed and chewed her lip nervously. "But no-one else has to know, right?"

"I don't _want_ anyone else to know," Fiyero said sincerely, "and not for the reason you think. I've told you before that I'd quite like to have you as my very public girlfriend. But I don't want anyone else to know about this morning because it seems too special to share with anyone else. That moment was between us, and I think sharing that with anyone would take away the magic of it all."

Elphaba didn't know what to say to that. For someone who could really only be described cringingly as a 'passing lover', Fiyero was sounding awfully romantic. She almost scoffed at the thought. Romantic? With her?

After a moment, she managed to get out a teasing, "Who knew you could be so sentimental?"

Fiyero gave her a lopsided grin which started her heart fluttering in her chest. "Another hidden talent."

Elphaba shook her head. "I can't believe this. Just a few minutes ago, I was feeling rotten over the whole incident; and now, you've managed to make me feel…almost…_good_ about it. It's so strange."

Fiyero brushed his thumb across Elphaba's knuckles. "As long as you don't regret it. Or regret us."

Elphaba flashed him a small smile. "I don't."

"I suppose we should order," Fiyero said after a short silence.

"I suppose so," Elphaba agreed, nodding.

By the time they ordered, ate, parted company, got themselves ready for the seminar and met up again, it was almost one o'clock. Fiyero grimaced as he looked at his watch.

"I hope we don't get held up," he commented.

"So do I," Elphaba said with a sigh as she surveyed the busy streets.

Fiyero flagged down a carriage and the pair climbed inside. Elphaba told the driver where they wanted to go and they were off.

"Have you got everything you need?" Fiyero asked.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"Do _I_ need anything?"

"All you need is to sit quietly throughout the seminar." Her gaze was drawn to Fiyero's collar. "And to fix your tie – it's crooked."

Fiyero's fingers tugged at his tie. "I thought I had the bloody thing right," he muttered irritably.

"Here," Elphaba said, reaching forward and pulling Fiyero's hands out of the road.

Fiyero looked at her curiously as she fiddled with the tie. "Where did you learn to tie ties?"

"I can't tie ties," Elphaba replied. "But it doesn't take much to figure out how to straighten them. There."

"Thanks." Fiyero took Elphaba's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Sooner than either of them had expected, the carriage drew up in front of the building that was playing host to the exhibition. Fiyero and Elphaba alighted and headed into the foyer.

"Now what?"

"We find whoever is running the event and explain and apologize for our absence during the first half of the exhibition," Elphaba informed him briskly. She glanced around. "Oh, there's an official-looking person; maybe he can help me." She strode purposefully over, leaving Fiyero to trail behind.

Fiyero only half-listened as Elphaba explained the situation. The prince's attention wandered a fair bit and he took the opportunity to study his surroundings, smiling politely at the giggling girls who wandered past.

After a few minutes, Elphaba returned to his side.

"Well?"

"That guy has taken care of it for us. And the lecture theatre is just through there." Elphaba nodded in the direction the chap had pointed out to her. "Come on."

"What, already?"

Elphaba fixed him with an exasperated look. "Fiyero, it's almost half-past! We're _supposed_ to be in there soon."

"Oh. Good point."

Elphaba rolled her eyes.

The pair made their way into the large auditorium, and Elphaba immediately headed for the front row.

"Can't we sit up the back?" Fiyero complained.

"I can't see from up there," Elphaba told him as she sat down, leaving no room for protestations. "We're sitting at the front."

Fiyero shrugged and took a seat beside her. "Okay."

Elphaba stared at him, mildly shocked. "That's it? You're not going to press the matter?"

Fiyero tipped his head to the side. "To be honest, it was more a token protest than anything. I figured you'd be expecting me to say something, and I don't like to disappoint."

Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"Besides," Fiyero continued softly, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, "I don't care where you sit, as long as I can sit beside you."

Elphaba blushed and forced a small laugh. "You're an idiot."

Fiyero grinned. "I know."

The green girl shook her head but didn't say anything further.

They sat in silence as more students filed into the room, filling it with noisy chatter. The clock ticked closer to the appointed start time all-too-slowly, and Fiyero noticed Elphaba getting edgy. In an attempt to settle her down, he commented, "You look prettier when you're not quite so tense."

Elphaba glanced over at him almost blankly, blinking owlishly behind her glasses. She obviously didn't know how to respond to that, but she eventually managed to bring up something else that had obviously been bothering her: "I know you're going to get bored and restless during this, but do you think you can try to restrain yourself from annoying anyone? I don't feel like having to explain why my partner representative insists on making a nuisance of himself."

Fiyero chuckled. "I promise not to make a nuisance of myself."

"Thankyou."

At that moment, the presenter of the seminar walked in, and Elphaba turned her attention to him. Fiyero, on the other hand, kept watching Elphaba until the seminar began.

Fiyero, to his credit, really did try to listen to what information the man standing out the front was churning out; but it was just so _boring_, and Fiyero didn't really understand much of what the man was saying, so he frequently found his attention wandering to the green girl beside him. He thought about her; he watched her take notes; he even stared at her boots. He did everything but touch her or stare at her outright. And he had difficulty convincing himself _not_ to do either of those.

By the time the break rolled around, Elphaba had noticed that Fiyero was beginning to fidget, and she passed him a piece of paper and a spare pen. "To entertain yourself," she explained, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Fiyero took the paper and pen gratefully, and proceeded to fill both sides of the paper during the second half of the seminar. Elphaba saw this and was about to tear off another sheet for him when Fiyero placed his hand over hers and shook his head with a smile, effectively stopping her.

"I'm right," he mouthed, and Elphaba hesitantly returned her attention to the seminar.

But she didn't pull her hand away, and Fiyero didn't let go.

Finally, the seminar ended, and as Elphaba was packing up, Fiyero slipped his piece of paper into her bag.

Elphaba threw him a questioning look as she reached for it.

"No," Fiyero said, "not now. Read it tonight."

Reluctantly, Elphaba let go of the paper and fastened her bag.

The carriage ride back to the hotel was a silent one, though not uncomfortably so, and when they reached the seventh floor, Elphaba and Fiyero agreed to have dinner together.

Like the carriage ride, dinner was a quiet affair, and Elphaba excused herself on the grounds of tiredness not long after she had finished eating.

She was in the middle of cleaning her teeth when she remembered Fiyero's piece of paper. Curiously, she went over and pulled it out of her bag, unfolded it and began to read. What she saw took her by surprise, and she quickly finished attending to her teeth, then climbed into bed, paper in hand.

_Highlights of this trip:_

_1. Sharing it with Elphaba  
2. Learning more about Elphaba  
3. Becoming attracted to Elphaba  
4. Kissing Elphaba  
5. Sharing sleeping arrangements with Elphaba  
6. Going to sleep with Elphaba in my arms  
7. Waking up with Elphaba in my arms  
8. Becoming close to Elphaba  
9. Having someone think Elphaba is my girlfriend  
10. Earning Elphaba's trust  
11. Being with Elphaba all the time  
12. Seeing a side of Elphaba no-one ever sees_

_Dear Elphaba,_

_I initially didn't want to come on this trip. You know that. Afterall, who wants to represent their university at some boring five-day-long exhibition with the one person they really don't get on with?_

_Yet here I am, loving every minute of it. Because I've had the opportunity to get to know you better. A lot better. I now know why you are the way you are; why you act the way you do; and, perhaps most importantly, why you always found me so annoying! I've had the chance to view myself through your eyes, and each time I do so, I physically cringe. Did I really act that egotistic? Did I really say those horrible things to you? Did I really come across as a jumped-up rich kid who thinks everyone should be falling down at his feet in worship just because of the family he happened to be born into? When I think of it like that – as you must have done – I feel so ashamed. I can't believe I really acted like that._

_But I did, and you suffered because of it. You suffered because every nasty word I said to you was lapped up by ours peers – just because it was me who said it. Oz, how disgusting is that? The fact that people condoned my rotten behaviour because of who I am…it sickens me now._

_In the time we have spent together, I have come to see you in a different light. You have opened up and let me in; told me things I'm sure I would never have told anyone had it been me. You trusted me. Even after all that I've done to you in the past, you still trusted me. Your trust is a precious gift, Elphaba; a gift much too precious to break. If I were a completely unselfish person, I would say, "I don't think I'm the best person in whom to place your trust." But I'm not going to pretend any longer that I'm perfect; I'm not a completely unselfish person, so instead I will say, "I will treasure your trust with all my heart and will do everything I can not to break that trust." And I don't care how soppy that may sound. It's true._

_You've given me a lot to think about over the course of this trip. You've shown me a whole other perspective on many things. You've __given__ me a whole new perspective on many things. For this, I thank you._

_This trip has opened my eyes in a way I thought nothing ever would or could. It has been such a wonderful experience for so many reasons, and the only thing I'm going to regret after this trip is the fact that we will be unable to continue whatever this is between us once we get back to Shiz. That is going to be extremely difficult to deal with, and I apologize in advance for any slip-ups I might make. Now that I know the real you, I am finding my attraction for you increasing so much and so quickly that, quite frankly, it's actually rather mind-boggling. It's going to be hard to restrain myself from kissing you senseless every time I see you, but I promise I will try._

_Who knows? Maybe Madame Morrible will see fit to send us on another trip together sometime. I'd like to think that could happen. Because I am going to miss you so much after this. I'm going to miss the girl who made me realize a bunch of things in such a short space of time – things no-one has ever got me to realize in my whole life. I'm going to miss the girl who made this trip more than just bearable, but a downright, genuine pleasure. I'm going to miss the girl who opened herself up to me and presented a softer side than I've seen on any marshmallow._

_And I'm definitely going to miss the cheeky seductress who can make me feel things like no other._

_To put it simply: Elphaba, I am going to miss you._

_Fiyero._

Elphaba's hand shook as she lowered the paper. She had to see him.

"Elphaba?" Fiyero asked in concern when he opened the door. "Is everything alright?"

"Fiyero," Elphaba choked out, and it was only then that she realized she was crying. She launched herself into his arms, wrapping her own tightly around his neck and kissing him deeply.

"Elphaba?" Fiyero asked again when she finally drew back. "What is it?"

Elphaba held up the piece of paper. "This…letter you wrote me. Is it true?"

Fiyero nodded, looking bewildered.

"Everything?"

"Everything."

Elphaba turned around and walked away from him slightly.

"Did I say something wrong?" Fiyero asked worriedly, closing the door.

Elphaba shook her head, and when she finally turned back, Fiyero noticed that while she was crying even harder, she was also smiling. "I've never had a letter before, let alone one so…heartfelt. So beautiful." She laughed slightly. "I'm not usually one for all that emotional, sentimental stuff, but this…" She trailed off, swallowing a sob.

"Hey, don't cry," Fiyero soothed her, wrapping her in his arms and resting his chin on top of her head. "I just wrote what I thought. What I felt."

"Thankyou," she whispered.

After a moment, Fiyero asked, "Did you see the other side?"

Elphaba shot him a quizzical glance as she turned the paper over. On the other side was a drawing of them lying together, Elphaba wrapped in Fiyero's arms. She recognized it as being a reference to the night before, and although she blushed at the intimate scene it made, she smiled. "It's beautiful. Thankyou."

Fiyero kissed her softly. "You're welcome. Come on, let's go to bed." At Elphaba's surprised look, he said quietly, "Well, we agreed to make the most of this, didn't we? Besides, I'm getting used to sleeping with you in my arms." He gently pried the paper from her hands, then scooped her up and deposited her on the bed, whisking her glasses off her nose. Fiyero switched off the light and climbed in beside her, before adding, "If you've no objection, that is."

After a moment, he heard a chuckle escape Elphaba's throat. "I've no objection."


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:**** It seems I'm killing off all my readers with all the fluff going on! Oh, dear. Well, we can't have that. Maybe I should just lay off the fluff. Afterall, we don't want anyone else spontaneously combusting like Thedoctor24601 did. ...Wait, I've already written the entire story. Sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to suffer through some more fluff yet. Not quite as much in this chapter, though.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 11:**

The next morning, Elphaba awoke at dawn. Turning over, she came face-to-face with Fiyero and she smiled as Fiyero's arm around her tightened in protest against her movement. "Fiyero?" she whispered.

Fiyero pulled her closer still. "Mmm…"

"Fiyero," Elphaba repeated, a bit louder this time. She touched his cheek. "Fiyero, we have to get up."

"Says who?" mumbled Fiyero sleepily.

"Says me. We have to be there at eight o'clock to start at nine."

"To start what at nine?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "We're manning the information stand today," she reminded him. "I told you that last night."

Fiyero frowned, his eyes still shut. "You did? When?"

The green girl sighed. "I just said, last n-"

"I mean, when last night?" Fiyero clarified.

"After we went to bed…"

"Before or after I fell asleep?"

"I would hardly tell you something _after_ you fell asleep if I expected you to actually remember it, would I?" Elphaba pointed out. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you were still awake when _I_ fell asleep – the last thing I remember is you nuzzling my hair and telling me that you like sleeping with me in your arms and you wish you could do that every night." She blushed at the memory.

"Hmmm…that sounds about right," Fiyero murmured, turning his head to nuzzle Elphaba's hair as he had the night before. "I can't think of a more perfect way to start and end each day."

Elphaba scoffed. "Now you're just being cheesy."

Fiyero grinned at her, finally opening his eyes. "Cheesy but truthful." He kissed her lightly. "Now, let's start over, shall we? Good morning, Elphaba. My, you look beautiful this morning. Did you sleep well?"

Elphaba laughed. "Fine," she relented. "Good morning, Fiyero. Yes, I slept very well indeed; thankyou for asking. How did you sleep?" she teased, playing along.

"Indescribably well."

Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "_That_ well, huh? And why is that?"

"_Because_," Fiyero stressed, tangling his legs with hers, "I had you in my arms."

"Is that going to be your new answer for everything?"

"Yep."

"I can hear it now: 'Why are you so happy?' 'Because I had you in my arms.' 'Why are you angry?' 'Because I had you in my arms.' 'Why are you sad?' 'Because I had you in my arms.'"

"Well, maybe not quite –"

"'Why are you going to the supermarket?' 'Because I had you in my arms.' 'What's your name?' 'Because I had you in my arms.'"

"Okay, I get the –"

But Elphaba was on a roll now and had no intention of stopping. "'Would you like some milk?' 'Because I had you in my arms.' 'What does that sign say?' 'Because I had you in my arms.'"

"Alright, that's enough out of you," Fiyero growled playfully, pinning Elphaba beneath him.

"I haven't finished yet," Elphaba protested cheekily.

"Oh, yes, you have." And with that, Fiyero leant down and pressed his lips to hers – hard. After a few long moments, he pulled back, and both were breathing heavily. Fiyero brushed a stray strand of hair away from Elphaba's face. "I rather like that way of shutting you up," he teased her gently.

"Maybe I should talk more, then," Elphaba teased back without thinking. When she realized what she had said, she flushed in embarrassment, but Fiyero grinned at her. "Anyway," Elphaba said, "we should really get up now. It's getting late."

Fiyero groaned. "Aw, do we have to?" he whined.

"Yes." Elphaba pushed him off her and sat up.

Fiyero huffed good-naturedly. "Well, that was unceremonious," he said in a jokingly-sarcastic tone.

Elphaba cradled his cheek and kissed him lightly. "Oh, Yero."

Fiyero sat up and looked at her. "What did you call me?"

Elphaba frowned. "What do you mean? I called you 'Fiyero', didn't I?"

"No," Fiyero told her, a broad grin spreading across his face. "You called me 'Yero'."

"Did I? I didn't notice. I'm sorry. Must have just slipped out."

"Don't apologize. I rather liked it."

"You did?"

Fiyero nodded. "And the way you said it…it almost gave me shivers. Can you call me 'Yero' from now on?"

Elphaba hesitated for a moment. "Well…maybe just until the end of the trip. Okay?"

"Okay."

"But only if you get up now."

Fiyero heaved a sigh. "Fine, I'm getting up."

"Is it always this hard to get you up of a morning?" Elphaba asked, her eyes shining in amusement.

"No, it's usually a _lot_ harder."

Elphaba laughed. "So why is it suddenly so 'easy' to get you up?"

"It probably has something to do with wanting to make the most of our time together."

"Yes, well, I'm afraid I have to return to my own room now."

"Aw, why?" Fiyero pouted.

"Because I have to get ready," Elphaba replied in exasperation.

"Get ready in here."

Elphaba quirked an eyebrow at him as she stared at him in disbelief. "Are you really that thick or are you just doing a really good impression?"

"What I meant was, you can bring your stuff in here and get ready…can't you?"

"Fiyero…"

"Fine, go and get ready in your room."

"No need to be like that," Elphaba scolded him.

"Be like what?"

"All sulky and petulant. It doesn't become you."

Fiyero sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Look, I promise I'll be quick, alright?"

"Alright," Fiyero agreed with a nod.

True to her word, Elphaba spent no more than ten minutes getting ready and was soon back in Fiyero's room, sitting on the bed, plaiting her hair while Fiyero shaved.

"You know," Fiyero mused, "I could get used to this."

Elphaba paused in her plaiting to look at Fiyero. "Get used to what, exactly?"

Fiyero came over to stand in the doorway and gestured between them. "This. Us. Just doing…you know…normal, everyday things together. Getting ready to go out. It just feels so…I don't know…_natural_, somehow."

Elphaba was looking at him with an odd expression on her face.

"What?"

The green girl shook her head. "You're loony."

"I'm serious!"

"This is sounding scarily like you're about to propose marriage – which is really crazy, given we've really only just realized that we don't actually hate each other," Elphaba said drily.

Fiyero smirked. "Don't tempt me."

Elphaba threw her hairbrush at him, which Fiyero dodged by ducking back into the bathroom. "It wouldn't be a smart move," she warned him.

She heard him sigh. "I suppose not. Shame. I don't want that kid beating me to it."

"Yero, no-one's ever going to marry me. And that's a fact."

"Sure they will. I just hope no-one beats me to it. Least of all that cute kid. That would mean I left it for _way_ too long."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "As I said, you're loony."

Fiyero shrugged, before setting down his razor and leaning over the basin to wash the soap off his face. "Think what you want; you will, anyway."

Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "You can't come up with an original line, so you have to steal one of mine? That's scraping the bottom of the barrel."

Fiyero shrugged but didn't comment as he began to brush his teeth. "Anyway, I thought you were going to wear your hair out today?"

"I was?" Elphaba blinked at him innocently.

Fiyero threw her a look over his shoulder.

Elphaba sighed and began to unplait her hair. "Fine, unplaiting hair."

"Thankyou," Fiyero said happily as he finished brushing his teeth. "Could you bring me my clothes, please?"

"Get them yourself."

"Elphaba…"

"Come on," Elphaba teased, "show me you're not _entirely_ useless."

"Hey!" Fiyero protested, glaring at her in the mirror. "I'm not useless _at all_, thankyou very much!"

Elphaba smirked. "Prove it."

Fiyero whirled around and, in an instant, was pinning her to the bed. "I am _not_ useless," he told her firmly.

"Now you've got that out of your system, could you let me get up, please? I really don't want to have to make myself presentable _again_ before we leave."

With a grunt, Fiyero released her, and Elphaba sat up.

"And while you're here," Elphaba continued nonchalantly, "you can get your clothes yourself."

Fiyero stared at her for a moment, open-mouthed. Finally, he shook his head. "Oz, I can't believe I fell for that."

Elphaba smirked. "I can't believe how _easy_ it was to get you to fall for that!"

Fiyero reached over to grab his uniform and sauntered haughtily into the bathroom with a sniff.

"Get over it, Tiggular!"

Fiyero turned around and poked his tongue out at her, and then shut the bathroom door.

Elphaba chuckled and shook her head, then decided to entertain herself by reading some of the brochures they would be handing out at the exhibition.

When Fiyero emerged fully-dressed, Elphaba gave a soft smile, which Fiyero returned in slightly more puzzled form. "What?"

Elphaba shook her head. "Nothing. It's just…when you actually put effort into making yourself look presentable, you really do carry off that uniform rather well."

Fiyero glanced down at himself self-consciously. "You really think so?"

Elphaba blushed but nodded, biting her lip. "Mmm-hmmm."

"I always thought I looked rather…I don't know…clown-like, I guess, in this uniform."

Elphaba was shocked. "How could you think that? _I'm_ the one who looks like a clown – in _anything_. I'm sure you could wear whatever you wanted and still look gor-" Elphaba cut herself off, her eyes widening as she realized what she had been about to say.

Fiyero looked at her curiously. "I would still look what?"

Elphaba hesitated, averting her gaze, before whispering, "Gorgeous."

A slow smile spread over Fiyero's face, his eyes lighting up. "You really think that?"

Elphaba nodded shyly.

Fiyero crossed the room and kissed her firmly. "Thankyou. And you're not a clown. You're beautiful."

"There's not need to lie to me, you know."

"It's not lying," Fiyero insisted, kneeling in front of her and cupping her cheek. "It's…looking at things another way." He kissed again, slowly and sweetly this time.

Elphaba felt tears stinging her eyes at that, and when Fiyero pulled away, the green girl choked back a sob.

Immediately, Fiyero looked concerned. "Elphaba, what is it? Did I say something wrong?"

Elphaba shook her head. "No-one has ever called me beautiful before. No-one except for Galinda."

A look of pure shock plastered itself across Fiyero's face. "What about Nessa? She's your sister; hasn't she told you that you're beautiful before?"

"No, not even Nessa has said that."

"I can't believe that," Fiyero said incredulously.

Elphaba shrugged. "It's just how things are. I'm not beautiful. How could I be? I'm green."

"You _are_ beautiful," Fiyero told her firmly.

Elphaba scoffed. "I don't know how you can see me like that."

"Because it's true," Fiyero said simply.

A single tear slid down Elphaba's cheek, and Fiyero took off her glasses and quickly kissed the tear away.

"Please don't cry," he begged.

"I'm not," Elphaba protested, prompting Fiyero to laugh softly and kiss her again.

After a few moments, Fiyero murmured, "We should probably get going."

Elphaba nodded as she composed herself.

"Do you want breakfast?"

"I'll probably regret it later, but no, thanks. You can get something, though."

Fiyero shook his head. "I might just have a coffee on the way."

"Okay." Elphaba gave one last sniffle before standing and grabbing her bag.

Fiyero stood as well and replaced Elphaba's glasses on her nose, then pecked said nose lightly. "Come on, beautiful. Let's go and show you off at this exhibition."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like I'm going to be parading around in the nude."

"Well, I wouldn't have any issue –" He broke off with a cough when Elphaba narrowed her eyes at him. "I mean, I wouldn't have any thought of that…"

Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, you know what? Let's just go."

"Probably a good idea," Elphaba agreed drily.

They arrived with time to spare, and Fiyero nicked next door to get himself a cup of coffee. By the time he got back, Elphaba had their designated area completely organized and she was sitting up straight, looking completely calm. Fiyero didn't have to be an absolute genius, however, to realize that was not the case. He could see how tense she was. She always sat straight-backed, but Fiyero thought that at that moment, she looked more like a ramrod.

"It'll be fine," Fiyero told Elphaba soothingly, pulling up a chair beside her and sitting down.

"Huh?"

"Today. It will be fine."

"Oh. Yes, of course it will. I'm not worried."

Fiyero gave her a pointed look. "Yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes and in your posture." He reached over and took her hand. "Come on, everything is going to be fine. You'll be brilliant."

Elphaba rolled her eyes with an impatient sigh and pulled her hand from Fiyero's grasp. "Oh, shut up and drink your coffee."

"Hey, I was just trying to be reassuring."

Elphaba immediately softened. "I know. Thanks."

The two sat in silence for some time until nine o'clock rolled around and the doors were opened to the public. Immediately, Elphaba was on her feet, a bunch of pamphlets in her hand, ready to be given out.

"So what do we do?" Fiyero asked, slowly standing.

Elphaba turned to him in exasperation. "Really, Fiyero? You couldn't have asked me that half an hour ago when we were sitting there doing nothing?"

Fiyero had the good grace to look sheepish. "…Oops?"

"Here." Elphaba shoved another pile of pamphlets into Fiyero's hands. "Just do what you do best: stand there and look pretty. If anyone asks you a question, pass it over to me."

Fiyero quirked an eyebrow. "You really think that's what I do best?"

Elphaba blushed. "You know what I mean."

"You don't think my real talent is kissing?"

Elphaba ducked her head. "Oh, look, someone's coming over here. Hello, how are you today?"

Fiyero watched on in silence as Elphaba spoke to the teenage boy and his parents. He marvelled at the professional manner in which she conducted herself and handled the situation, answering their questions without "um"-ing and "ah"-ing over everything.

"I am officially in awe," Fiyero commented once the people had moved on.

Elphaba shot him a sidelong glance. "In awe of what, exactly?"

"Of you. You can be really good with people when you want to be, you know."

Elphaba snorted. "When they allow me to be, more like," she retorted and Fiyero cringed.

A few more people came by, including a couple of groups of giggling girls who had recognized Fiyero and come over purely to flirt with him. They were obviously competing with each other to see who could get the furthest with him, much to Elphaba's amusement and…was that envy she felt? Fiyero tried his best to be polite without flirting, but none of the girls seemed to notice his surprising lack of interest in them, instead taking every little gesture as encouragement.

Apart from those few episodes, Fiyero had to admit it wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be, but that thought was quickly pushed aside when yet another group of girls came up, this time staring at Elphaba. Fiyero noticed Elphaba stiffen immediately, and then one of the girls spoke.

"Well, look who it is! It's the Artichoke, right here in the Emerald City! How fitting!"

Fiyero stiffened as well.

"Who is she?" another girl asked in a mixed tone of horror and awe, and the first girl turned to smirk at her.

"She's the freak daughter of the Governor of Munchkinland. Only he's so ashamed of her, he doesn't want anyone to know she exists. Isn't that right, Freak?"

"So how do _you_ know she exists?" a third girl asked.

"My mother told me all about it. What a shock it was when she was born." The girl's tone was mocking, and Fiyero felt his blood beginning to boil.

"Alright, that's enough," he said loudly.

The group of girls noticed Fiyero for the first time, and the first girl clucked at him sympathetically. "You're Prince Fiyero, aren't you? Oz, I feel so sorry for you, being stuck here with _her_."

Fiyero's outrage was increasing with every word that left the girl's lips and his eyes narrowed at her dangerously. "_She_," he said through gritted teeth, "is my girlfriend."


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's**** Note:**** Glitter-Bunnii, I think Maddy's rubbing off on you, because you both keep citing my own favourite lines! :D****  
**

**Glad everyone liked that last line! I'm afraid the story is drawing to a close, though...**

* * *

**CHAPTER 12:**

There was a collective, horrified gasp from the group of girls, and Fiyero could see Elphaba gaping at him from the corner of his eye. However, he just kept looking at the girls, silently challenging them to say something.

Finally, the leader of the girls accepted the challenge. "Yeesh! You're joking, right? How did you end up with _her_? Your parents set it up, I expect."

"They did no such thing," Fiyero declared firmly. "I asked her to be my girlfriend of my own free will." Well, that much was true, even if Elphaba had, in reality, turned him down.

"I don't believe you." The girls crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"It's the truth."

"Prove it."

Now Fiyero looked taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Prove it," the girl repeated.

"What do you mean?"

"Kiss her."

"He's not going to do it," Fiyero heard one of the other girls whisper.

Without a second thought, Fiyero turned to face Elphaba, grabbed her by the waist and hauled her to him, pressing his lips firmly against hers. He heard the girls let out another gasp, and he deepened the kiss for extra effect.

When he finally pulled away to see Elphaba staring at him wide-eyed and blushing furiously, Fiyero smiled softly and stroked her cheek. He then placed another light kiss on Elphaba's forehead.

The leader of the group made a loud gagging sound. "Oz, that is the most _disgusting_ thing I have ever seen. You disappoint me, _Your Highness_." With that, she and her fellow floozies flounced away.

"You really didn't have to do that," Elphaba managed to get out after a few minutes.

"Of course I did. I care about you."

"I didn't just mean defending me. I meant the kiss."

"Oh, that." Fiyero shrugged. "I know, but I wanted to. I'm sorry if you didn't want me to – you know, since you don't want it public knowledge about…us."

"Well, it's too late for that now, isn't it?" Elphaba pointed out. "Not that there _is_ an 'us', really."

"It's not really _that_ bad, though, is it? That I did that in public?"

"You're a _prince_, Fiyero. Everyone watches your every move."

Fiyero grimaced. "Don't remind me," he muttered.

"That sort of news is going to spread like wildfire. It will be in all the gossip columns before you know it. I wouldn't be surprised if someone managed to snap a photograph – there are photographers here to cover the event, most unfortunately."

Fiyero shrugged. "All they can do is speculate; they're not going to be getting anything out of me. There are any number of reasons why I might have kissed you."

"And what will the headlines say, hmmm?" Elphaba continued her rant, ignoring him. "_'Scandalacious Vinkun Prince Dating Green Freak.'_ I don't want you being the subject of ugly gossip on my account," she finished softly.

"Elphaba –"

"Excuse me, I'm looking at going to Shiz University next year," a teenaged girl interrupted them, "and I was wondering if they offer the program I'm looking at doing."

Elphaba immediately switched to 'efficient assistant mode', as Fiyero mentally termed it, and he sighed. Once she had dealt with the girl, Elphaba turned back to Fiyero with a sigh of her own.

"Look, I appreciate you defending me, I really do. Nobody has ever done that before. But I just don't want anything involving me to harm you. Once we get back to Shiz, that's it. No more 'us', as you like to put it. No-one is to know. So why take any risks while we're still in the Emerald City? It doesn't make any sense to do that, Fiyero. At least, not in public."

Fiyero let out yet another sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "I suppose you're right," he admitted. "I'm sorry."

Elphaba shrugged it off. "Look, we'll be done here in half an hour. Why don't you make it up to me by taking me out for a nice lunch?"

Fiyero raised an eyebrow. "In public?"

"Well, we could always have it in my room…" Elphaba suggested shyly.

Fiyero grinned. "I think that sounds perfect."

Lunchtime found the pair sharing a spaghetti meal in Elphaba's room, as per the green girl's suggestion.

"Open wide," Fiyero joked as he twirled some spaghetti around his fork and held it out towards Elphaba.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "I'm not a baby."

"So?" Fiyero grinned. "That doesn't mean I can't feed you."

Elphaba just looked at him.

"Or, if you want, _you_ could always feed _me_…" Fiyero wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Apart from the fact that it's a plain stupid idea," said Elphaba, "I really don't think we should feed each other while ever we're wearing our uniforms."

"You're suggesting we take them off?" Fiyero cocked his head to the side, his eyes lighting up.

Elphaba looked horrified. "Oz, Tiggular, no! That's not what I meant at all! I… Oh, Oz." She buried her head in her hands, feeling her cheeks beginning to heat up. "Why must you always twist my words?"

Fiyero laughed. "I can't help it. When such words fall from the lips of such an attractive woman, it's hard not to think of a not-so-innocent meaning."

Elphaba pursed her lips. "So I'm back to being 'just another woman', am I? Ha, I knew it's couldn't last."

"Come on, Elphaba, that's not what I meant. I can't think of anyone but you now."

"Yeah, right, I'm really going to believe that because you're just _so_ convincing."

"Oh, shut up and eat your spaghetti."

Elphaba harrumphed and shoved another forkful of food into her mouth, chewing on it rather savagely.

This time, it was Fiyero who rolled his eyes. He reached his foot out and lightly bumped Elphaba's leg. "Hey, stop getting cranky at me because _you're_ searching my words for meanings that aren't there. There is no need for you to do either of those." When Elphaba didn't respond, Fiyero nudged her leg a bit harder. "Hey! Look at me!"

Elphaba finally tore her gaze away from her bowl to direct a glare at Fiyero, who sighed.

"Look, we haven't got long before we have to return to Shiz. Now, we've already agreed to make the most of what time we have left. If it helps, I'm sorry. Now let's move on, hmmm?"

Fiyero didn't think she was going to respond; but, finally, Elphaba heaved a sigh of her own. "Alright," she relented. "Apology accepted. Oz knows why I'm agreeing to keep going along with you."

Fiyero grinned. "Must be my irresistible charm."

"What charm?" Elphaba asked, pretending to be confused.

Fiyero poked out his tongue. "The charm you couldn't resist last night or the night before…or the day before that…or the day before _that_…"

Elphaba blushed heavily. "Okay, okay, I get it," she mumbled. "No need to go on about it."

Fiyero grinned but complied, and the pair finished their meal in silence with Fiyero poking Elphaba's foot with his toe every now and then.

"Would you stop doing that?" Elphaba finally snapped irritably.

"Doing what?" Fiyero questioned innocently.

"Poking me with your toe."

"Oh, that." He paused. "No."

Elphaba scowled, but shuddered slightly when Fiyero's foot found the hem of her skirt and slowly and gently made its way up her leg. "Fiyero…"

It was supposed to sound warning, Fiyero knew, but it came out as more of a breathless sigh, and Fiyero grinned as he ran his foot back down again.

"Cut it…out…" Elphaba's eyelids fluttered closed and Fiyero knew he had won.

"If I must." Fiyero stood and came around to the other side of the table, then bent over to kiss the green girl.

She couldn't help it. Elphaba melted into the kiss immediately. As Fiyero put his arms around her and drew Elphaba to her feet, she slipped her arms around Fiyero's neck and deepened the kiss.

Before either of them had quite realized it, the pair had tumbled onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. After a few moments, Elphaba pulled away and sat up.

"We should probably stop."

Fiyero blinked. "Wait, what? Why?" he asked, sitting up also.

"So we don't mess up our uniforms."

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "You are _kidding_ me," he groaned.

"No," Elphaba replied matter-of-factly. "I refuse to turn up at a student representative dinner looking like a bedraggled cat."

"What a time to suddenly care about your appearance," Fiyero lamented.

"Fiyero, we're representing Shiz!"

"If you're so concerned about wrinkly uniforms, there is a solution…"

"I don't trust hotel irons," Elphaba said stubbornly.

"That's not exactly what I meant," Fiyero breathed, leaning closer to Elphaba and toying with the buttons on her blazer.

"Then what _did_ you mean?" Elphaba asked, swatting his hand away.

"What I suggested before when you said about feeding each other…remove our uniforms."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Is that all you ever think about?"

Fiyero gave a sheepish shrug. "It's hard not to with you here," he said, reaching for her again and pulling her close.

A smile tugged on Elphaba's lips, as much as she tried to suppress it. "I have a better idea. Why don't we just get changed?"

"Or we could do that," Fiyero conceded with a half-shrug.

"I'll just…um…" Elphaba gestured to the bathroom, before grabbing a clean frock and ducking into the adjoining chamber to get change.

When she came out again, she found Fiyero sprawled out on the bed, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts. Elphaba's eyes widened in surprise.

"I didn't really need to change," Fiyero explained casually, seeing the look she gave him. He held out his hand to her.

"I see…" Elphaba said quietly after a moment, coming closer and taking his hand.

"And yeah, I was kind of hoping for a repeat performance of yesterday," Fiyero admitted, sensing her hesitation. "What I said is true. I loved every moment of that. And I want to return the favour."

Trust him to throw that in. How could she resist that?

Fiyero gave Elphaba's hand a tug, causing her to topple onto his chest. Fiyero grinned. "That's better." He pressed his lips to Elphaba's, not giving her a chance to react, then began a light trail of kisses down the green girl's throat and across to her shoulder.

Elphaba let out a blissful sigh and tangled her long fingers in Fiyero's thick, brown hair as the latter rolled them over. "Yero…" Elphaba whispered.

"Mmm…?"

Elphaba paused. "Nothing."

Fiyero pulled back to look at her. "No, you were going to say something. What was it?"

Elphaba shrugged, twirling a lock of Fiyero's hair around her finger. "I just... I wish we didn't have to go back to 'hating' each other, either," she admitted with a sigh, looking out the window.

"Then let's not," Fiyero said, his voice full of excitement.

He could see that she was tempted by the idea this time; but, after a moment, she shook her head.

"No, Fiyero. I'm sorry, but I couldn't put you through that. No, this is going to have to be it." Elphaba finally turned her head back to look at Fiyero. "And don't even think of suggesting a secret relationship."

Fiyero's eyes lit up. "Hey, why didn't I think of that?"

"No," Elphaba said firmly.

Fiyero pouted.

Elphaba let out a weak, rueful chuckle and placed a kiss on Fiyero's nose. "I know. I already regret it, too. But this is just the way it has to be."

"No, it –"

"Fiyero."

Fiyero sighed. "Okay, okay. Letting it go."

"Good." Elphaba pulled Fiyero back to her and kissed him firmly, wrapping her arms around his bare torso and feeling the well-developed muscles in his back. "As you keep telling me, let's just make the most of the time we have left on this trip."

After they broke apart, Fiyero looked at Elphaba for a long moment, his eyes burning into hers, before suddenly crashing his lips to hers once more, hungrily this time, taking Elphaba's breath away. When he finally pulled away almost a full minute later, he whispered huskily, "Let's make every second count."

Elphaba could not agree more.

A few hours later, Fiyero found himself following Elphaba into the large dining hall of some fancy, old building.

"Well, this is going to be a bore," he muttered.

Elphaba glanced back at him. "What makes you say that?"

"I've seen plenty of dining halls in my time," Fiyero replied. "Anything that takes place in one of these is bound to be boring."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "That's Fiyero logic for you."

Fiyero grinned. "Believe me, it works."

"I'm sure," Elphaba retorted drily. "Now shut up. It looks like everyone is being seated."

"Yay," Fiyero muttered sarcastically, tugging on his blazer sleeve as Elphaba inspected the table for their place cards.

"Here we are," she announced after a moment. She sat at her allocated place and Fiyero followed suit.

"Now what?"

"The word 'patience' doesn't appear anywhere in your vocabulary, does it?"

Fiyero gave a playful huff but didn't say anything further, for which Elphaba was very grateful.

Ten minutes later, everyone was seated and the organizer of the exhibition welcomed them to the dinner. There were a couple of short speeches by people of note in education circles; the entrée was served; and then the compère said, "Before we begin to wrap up this exhibition, I believe we have one more student representative speech to hear. This will be presented by Miss Elphaba Thropp of Shiz University. Miss Thropp?"

Fiyero just about choked on an oyster. "_What_?!" he whispered harshly to Elphaba, but the latter had already stood and was making her way to the podium.

As Elphaba addressed those present and launched into her speech about Shiz University, Fiyero sat there staring at her. It was the first time the Vinkun prince could recall sitting through a speech and hearing every word. Elphaba sounded so confident; so sure of herself…she looked in her element, even though Fiyero was certain she was bracing herself for an attack on her skin. And her words… Had a first-year university student really written that speech?

Elphaba only spoke for a couple of minutes, but everything seemed to pass by in slow-motion for Fiyero as he watched and listened to her, absolutely captivated.

And then suddenly, Elphaba had finished speaking and everyone was clapping loudly.

Fiyero beamed with pride.

"For a green freak," began a girl sitting near Fiyero, who shot her a dark look which went unnoticed, "she's surprisingly good."

"That was a fantastic speech," another girl agreed. "It's almost makes me want to switch to Shiz University myself!"

Fiyero relaxed, and as Elphaba reclaimed her seat, the prince daringly leant over to plant a light kiss on her cheek. "I am officially in awe," he told her seriously.

Elphaba blushed and gave an awkward chuckle. "It was nothing, really, but, uh, thanks."

"I didn't realize you were going to speak tonight," Fiyero commented as the main course was served.

"Well, since we missed the first dinner…" Elphaba shrugged and thanked the waiter for her meal.

"First dinner?" Fiyero questioned with a frown.

Elphaba let out an exasperated sigh. "_Yes_. There was one on Saturday evening. That one was for people looking at going to university as well as the student representatives, but I still had to do the speech tonight even though they're not here – a mere formality," she threw in facetiously.

"Oh."

Elphaba rolled her eyes.

The pair lapsed into silence as the other students around them chattered away.

The dinner wore on, and after a few more speeches, Fiyero murmured to Elphaba, "What time is this thing supposed to finish?"

"Ten o'clock."

Fiyero glanced up at the clock. "It's twenty-to now. I hope they bring out dessert soon."

"What is it with men and dessert?" Elphaba muttered.

"Hey, if I get dessert, it will be to your advantage," Fiyero informed her.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Fiyero grinned cheekily at her. "Sugar keeps one going. The more energy I have, the more you get out of me.

Elphaba flushed in embarrassment at his implication. "I'm not going to dignify that with a response."

Fiyero's grin widened. "You just did."

* * *

**Author's Note:****Only one more chapter after this!** And, yeah, there is a kind-of Frozen half-reference in here. ;)


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:**** Yes, this is the final chapter. Yes, there is a Casablanca reference in here. I couldn't resist. Yes, this is a long chapter. I thought the last one deserved to be. It was very nearly two chapters, but then I figured it should stay as a whole. So it has.  
**

**Thankyou everyone! We have reached - and surpassed - 100 reviews! Guest, you can have a virtual version of the cake in this chapter. Or pie, if you prefer.**

**To see the cake, please take a look at my blog (link on my profile).**

**In other news, I AM FINALLY SEEING WICKED! I have booked for my Mum and I to see it in February next year, and I'm hoping to go a second time, too. The tickets arrived the other day and I AM SO EXCITED.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 13:**

When they arrived back at the hotel, Fiyero immediately disappeared into his room. Elphaba thought that must have been it for the night, and so was surprised when he turned up her door fifteen minutes later. What surprised her even more was what he had in his hand.

"Fiyero," Elphaba said slowly, "why have you got your suitcase with you?"

"It's our last night in the city together," Fiyero explained, "and I want to spend it with you. Make every last moment last."

Elphaba couldn't help but melt at that and she soon found Fiyero making himself at home in her room.

A moment later, there was another knock on the door.

"I hope you don't mind," Fiyero informed Elphaba casually, seeing her frown, "but I took the liberty of ordering dessert."

"Seriously, Fiyero?" Elphaba exclaimed. "Are you still going on about them not having dessert at the dinner? They had after-dinner mints."

"Hey," Fiyero protested as Elphaba opened the door, "after-dinner mints are totally _not_ in the same league as dessert. But no," he added as the staff member brought the tray into the room and set it down on the table, "I'm not still going on about it. I'm over it. They can do what they like. That's like, whatevs. But that doesn't mean I don't still want dessert. Thus, this." He gestured grandly at the tray, eliciting a chuckle from the staff member and a raised eyebrow from Elphaba.

"Thankyou," the green girl told the staff member as he left the room and disappeared down the hall. She turned back to Fiyero and was about to admonish him when he lifted the lid of one of the cloches.

"I hope you like cake."

Elphaba's eyes widened as she stared at the dessert, before her gaze shifted back to the Vinkun prince. "Fiyero…"

"Hey, Shiz is covering our expenses, remember? And we've already saved them some money by not buying meals for a few days. We deserve a little treat. And what happened to calling me 'Yero'?" he complained good-naturedly.

Elphaba ignored this last comment. "What exactly _is_ it?"

"Hazelnut chocolate torte," Fiyero announced, lifting the lid of the second cloche. Sitting on top of the high chunk of layered cake was a large, green sugar heart with the word 'attraction' piped on it.

Elphaba gasped. "Oh, Yero… You're a funny thing, but you're incredibly sweet."

Fiyero smiled as the green girl came over and wrapped her arms around him. He kissed her gently. "I know. Now, are we going to eat?"

Elphaba laughed. "I suppose," she agreed, sitting down.

Fiyero pulled the other chair around next to Elphaba's and picked up a cake fork, spearing a small piece of the dessert. "Open up."

"Yero –"

"Open up," Fiyero repeated firmly.

With a roll of her eyes and a sigh, Elphaba complied. The cake nearly melted on her tongue, and Elphaba's eyes fluttered closed. "Mmm, that's heavenly," she mumbled around the cake.

Fiyero smiled. "I'm glad."

The last of her resistance melted, Elphaba happily finished her dessert, giggling when Fiyero kissed some crumbs off her lips, and even fed him some cake as he had done to her.

Soon, all that remained was the sugar heart. Elphaba stared at it apprehensively, causing Fiyero to frown at her.

"What is it?"

Elphaba looked up sheepishly. "I'm going to sound like a total girl right now, but…it's too cute to eat!"

Fiyero chuckled. "Well, seeing as you _are_ a girl, I'm won't hold that against you. It won't keep for long, though."

"I know…" Elphaba sighed as she gazed wistfully at the heart.

Finally, Fiyero picked up the heart. "Open wide."

For once, Elphaba did not roll her eyes; instead, holding a momentary internal debate with herself before complying with a smile.

Once she had finished eating, she leant over and pressed her lips to Fiyero's. "Thankyou," she whispered.

"For what? Ordering dessert? Anytime." Fiyero grinned.

Elphaba laughed softly. "No, for being the best possible could-be boyfriend. For seeing me for me and not just for my skin. For everything."

Fiyero did not reply. Instead, he kissed her again, this time with fire.

After a few moments, the couple found themselves on the bed, entangled in a passionate embrace. Fiyero quickly discarded his tie and waistcoat as Elphaba shrugged out of her blazer, and both kicked off their shoes before returning to the more pressing matter of the kiss. Elphaba's lips soon emigrated from Fiyero's to trail down his chest as she undid each button of his shirt with tantalizingly slow, deliberate movements. Soon the shirt was hanging loosely from Fiyero's strong shoulders, and Elphaba slipped her hands beneath the fabric, her long fingers dancing around to Fiyero's back. With a low moan, Fiyero recaptured her lips and returned the favour by unzipping her dress.

In almost no time, Fiyero was free of his shirt and trousers, leaving him in only his boxer shorts, and Elphaba wore only her underwear and a slip. Suddenly shy, she pulled back and visibly shrank into herself.

Fiyero lifted her chin with his fingers. "Elphaba? Are you alright?"

Elphaba bit her lip. "It's just I've never been… so…uncovered in front of anyone before. I never show so much of my skin. I must repulse you."

Fiyero sighed. "Elphaba…I wish you wouldn't speak of yourself like that. You are beautiful."

"Really?" she asked, her voice hopeful; her eyes wide.

"Really." Fiyero pressed another kiss to her lips. "Really and truly."

Elphaba pulled away again. "Maybe we should stop."

"What? Why?"

"Before this gets out of hand. Before we go too far."

"No. We won't go too far; not if you don't want to. But please, Elphaba, let's not stop now. I don't want to stop. I _can't_ stop."

Elphaba averted her gaze. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of." Her voice was quiet.

Fiyero flopped back on the bed and closed his eyes. "Oz, Elphaba, how do you expect me to stop kissing you when we're together like this? And no," he added firmly before Elphaba could say anything, "I am _not_ going back to my room and spending the night in my own pathetic company." He sat up again and looked at her seriously. "But if things look like getting out of hand, we can surely make a rational decision to take a break? At least, I'm sure you will be able to. And I would respect that, Elphaba, because I respect you and I don't want ever to hurt you again in any way."

Elphaba still looked uncertain, but when Fiyero brushed her cheek with his thumb and gently kissed her forehead, she crumbled. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath before nodding. "Okay."

Fiyero smiled softly and kissed her lips, running his hands down her arms, up her sides and around to her back to pull her closer.

Elphaba did not resist.

The next morning dawned bright and clear with no sign of the clouds which had threatened to spoil the previous few days. Elphaba woke to find herself tucked securely in Fiyero's arms and their legs entwined – in fact, she realized presently, she was half-sprawled across him. She debated for a few moments whether or not to extricate herself from this compromising position, but decided against it on the grounds that she was far too comfortable to move. Comforted by the early morning quiet preceding what she knew would be a busy day in the hotel corridors, Elphaba snuggled further into Fiyero's tight embrace with a smile and proceeded to trace light patterns over his chest. She then moved her fingers up to his face, following the line of his jaw, his eyebrows and his nose, before transferring a tender kiss from her fingertips to Fiyero's lips. Elphaba ran her index finger back down his face all the way to his navel, which was when Fiyero woke up.

Fiyero immediately took Elphaba's wandering hand and laced his fingers with hers. He raised their joined hands to his lips, before looking down at the girl beside him and kissing her hair. "Good morning, beautiful."

Elphaba blushed but, for once, did not rebuff the compliment. "Good morning, Yero," she replied softly.

Fiyero dipped his head lower to capture her lips. After a long moment, he broke the kiss, but did not pull away, instead letting his lips brush pleasantly against Elphaba's as he spoke. "I wish we didn't have to get up soon. I could stay here like this with you forever."

"So could I," Elphaba whispered with another chaste kiss. "It feels like a wonderful dream I never want to wake up from. But, as with all dreams," she finished sadly, "it must come to an end." She looked at him for a moment, an expression of longing etched onto her face. Then suddenly, before Fiyero could register what was happening, Elphaba was on top of him and kissing him with such a burning intensity of passion and desire that Fiyero didn't know quite what to do, even as his body responded of its own accord.

"I have said before, it doesn't have to end," Fiyero whispered roughly as Elphaba attacked his throat.

Elphaba sighed and sat up. "Yero, I've told you: as tempting as it is…"

"Okay, okay…I get it." Fiyero reached out to caress her cheek, then moved his hand down her neck to her shoulder. Pulling himself upright, he pushed down the strap of Elphaba's slip and ran his lips gently across her shoulder and down to her collarbone.

Elphaba's eyes fluttered shut and her breathing grew slightly ragged. "Oh, Yero," she breathed, tilting her head backwards, causing her hair to tumble towards the sheets like an ebony waterfall. She felt Fiyero's hands begin to slowly roam over her body, and she reached up to tangle her fingers in his thick hair, effectively anchoring herself to him. "Yero…"

Fiyero replied by moving his lips back to her mouth, savouring the warm sweetness of the soft green flesh.

They enjoyed each other for some time before scrambling to get ready for the long day ahead and making a dash for the door.

"Look on the bright side," Elphaba told Fiyero after hearing him complain about having to tear himself away from her lips, "we have the whole day and a carriage to ourselves."

Fiyero grinned at the thought. "It might not be as comfortable or as private as a room with a bed," he commented, causing Elphaba to roll her eyes, "but it's still exciting. You…me…"

"Us," Elphaba finished, standing on tiptoe to peck his lips.

Fiyero's grin widened. "Us," he echoed happily.

Soon they were safely ensconced inside the carriage, wrapped comfortably in each other's arms as they headed out of the Emerald City and back towards Shiz. Some of the snow had disappeared since the previous week and there was no fresh powder, making the journey easier than the first.

By dusk, they had arrived at a small inn, much like the one in which they had spent the first night of their trip.

Before Elphaba could do anything, Fiyero strode up to the counter and asked for accommodation for the coachmen, the horses, and a single room for two.

Elphaba's face and neck turned beet red. "Fiyero," she hissed wildly, "what is Oz' name do you think you're doing?"

Fiyero smiled at her serenely. "Making every last moment last." He paused. "And saving Shiz some money in the process."

"Fiyero," Elphaba protested, beginning to panic, "we can't share a room."

"Why not? We already have."

"But what will people say?"

"No-one is going to know," Fiyero said firmly. "No-one except for us."

Elphaba had no time to air any further concerns, however, as at that moment, the receptionist returned with the key. "Here you are. Have a nice evening." She gave a bold wink that had Elphaba flushing all over again, while Fiyero just grinned and slipped his arm around Elphaba's waist.

"Oh, we will," he replied cheerfully. "Won't we, honey?" He squeezed Elphaba close and kissed her forehead.

Elphaba tried to figure out what to say; however, she was saved the trouble when the receptionist emitted a giggle which reminded Elphaba painfully of Galinda.

"Well, I'm sure you two don't want to stand around here making small talk with me. You probably want to get on with it." With a knowing smirk, she went back to reading her magazine.

As soon as the receptionist was pre-occupied with her reading, Elphaba elbowed Fiyero in the ribs, causing him to wince.

"What was that for?"

"For humiliating me."

Fiyero peered at Elphaba's unhappy face. "It really bothered you that much?"

Elphaba nodded and buried her face in Fiyero's jacket.

"Aw, I'm sorry," Fiyero apologized, wrapping his arms around her. "I didn't mean to."

Elphaba sighed. "I know," she said, her voice muffled. "You just don't seem to have the capacity to be embarrassed the way I do."

Fiyero chuckled. "We are so different, aren't we?"

Elphaba nodded.

"Come on," Fiyero said, guiding Elphaba towards the dining room, "let's get something to eat and go to bed."

The night passed for Elphaba and Fiyero in much the same fashion as the previous night; and Thursday was once again spent tucked away in the carriage, Fiyero's lips firmly attached to Elphaba's.

Friday looked destined to be a carbon copy of Thursday until mid-morning when Fiyero suddenly called out to the coachman to stop.

"Fiyero," asked a puzzled Elphaba, "what's going on?"

Fiyero climbed out of the carriage and then held out his hand to her. "You'll see."

Elphaba took Fiyero's hand and followed him off the road. They wandered amongst the trees until Fiyero came to a stop, and Elphaba's eyes widened in recognition.

"The cottage?" Elphaba turned to look at Fiyero. "But why?"

"Because that," he replied, nodding at the cottage as he wrapped his arm around Elphaba's waist, "is where I changed. Where my life changed. Where my whole outlook on life changed." Fiyero lifted his free hand to stroke Elphaba's cheek. "Where I got to know you. That cottage is now a very important place to me. I thought it would be nice to come back."

Elphaba smiled gently. "You really are a sentimental old coot, aren't you?" But Fiyero noticed that her eyes were moist.

Fiyero lightly kissed the tip of her nose. "Come on."

Hand in hand, the couple strolled around to the back of the cottage where a large grouse was hanging from the handle of the back door.

"Just as I thought," Fiyero murmured.

"Hmmm?"

Fiyero did not reply; he just glanced over towards the stable. "This way."

The two made their way around to where the chickens were kept. There stood a scruffy-looking man, probably in his sixties, with white hair and a beard. He wore tattered-looking clothing and spoke to the chickens in a low, gravelly voice as he fed them.

"Excuse me," Fiyero called, "are you the owner?"

The man did not spare him a glance. "Who's askin'?" he returned gruffly.

"My name is Fiyero, and this is Elphaba. We stayed at your cottage last week."

Finally, the man looked up, with something akin to friendliness written across his ruddy face. "Oh?"

"We just wanted to thank you for your hospitality. I know we didn't exactly ask, but it was very kind of you to let up stay there and to provide us with meat for our meals. We are very grateful."

Squinting, the man stalked over to them and peered into Fiyero's face. "No bother. Didn't do much. No need to be so grateful."

"Well, we are anyway," Fiyero said firmly. He dug out his wallet and offered the man a wad of cash. "A token of our appreciation."

The man eyed the money with distaste. "No use for that. Don't need your appreciation."

"Please."

The man's eyes narrowed even further in suspicion. "Why are you so insistent?" he asked at last. "It can't be just the loan of the cottage or the provision of meat."

A smile tugged at Fiyero's lips. "You're right, sir; it's not. But by your allowing us to stay here, I got the opportunity to get to know this wonderful girl" – he looked fondly at Elphaba – "and I realized just what a stuck-up idiot I was. All in this one small building. So you see, I have a lot to be grateful for." He pressed the notes into the man's weathered hand.

The man hesitated as he looked at the money; then, evidently having mulled over Fiyero's words, his face softened and he split the money into two piles, one of which he handed back to Fiyero. "Thankyou, lad, but you keep some. Buy the lass something nice." And with that, the man went back to feeding the chickens.

"Just one more thing," Elphaba called out. "How did you know we would stay here?"

The man turned around, tapped his nose and gave a wink.

Elphaba smiled. "Well, thankyou, anyway."

"Well, you heard the man," Fiyero said as he and Elphaba headed back to the waiting carriage. "Let's go and buy you something nice."

"Fiyero –"

"I won't hear of any protestations," Fiyero said gently but firmly.

Elphaba rolled her eyes, but couldn't help feeling a renegade streak of excitement shoot through her chest. She gave an exaggerated sigh and grumbled, "If you must."

"I must." When they reached the carriage, Fiyero asked the coachman to stop at the next town. "It won't take long," he promised.

The coachman stopped at the next town as promised and Fiyero took Elphaba into the first jewellery store they came across.

"Fiyero…" Elphaba began warningly, "…what are we doing in a jewellery store?"

Fiyero took her hand. "Trust me?"

"I'm not sure I do at the moment."

"Please?"

Elphaba heaved a sigh. "Fine. But only if you stop pulling that puppy dog look on me."

"What puppy dog look?" Fiyero asked innocently, exaggerating said puppy dog look.

"_That_ puppy dog look," Elphaba said pointedly.

Fiyero chuckled. "Right." He pulled her over to a display case filled with beautiful, sparkling necklaces. "Anything here take your fancy?"

"Fiyero, you really don't –"

"– have to buy you anything?" Fiyero finished. He grinned. "Of course not. So is there anything here?"

"They're all rather fancy, aren't they?" Elphaba commented with a sigh as she swept her gaze over the display case. "And so incredibly expensive. Nothing that cries 'Elphaba' at all."

"That's true, I suppose," Fiyero agreed reluctantly. "But surely there's _something_ here that…" He trailed off as something caught his eye. "Yes, that's it! That's perfect! Excuse me," he addressed the man behind the counter, "but do you have that necklace in an 'E'?"

"Certainly, sir." The man trotted off to fetch a little blue box, which he opened to let Fiyero see the exquisite golden necklace, attached to which was an 'E' pendant studded with emeralds.

"Yes, that is undoubtable perfect. Elphaba? What do you think?"

Elphaba stared at the necklace. "I think it's far too expensive."

"I'll take that as a yes." He turned back to the salesman. "We'll take it. Thankyou very much."

The exchange of cash for necklace was made, and then Elphaba and Fiyero hurried back to the carriage.

"Here," Fiyero said as the carriage moved off, "let me put it on for you."

Elphaba patiently held still while he did so, and once the necklace was securely settled around her neck, she glanced down and gently fingered the glittering pendant. "It's beautiful," she said softly, "but you really shouldn't have. You should save your money for something important."

"Okay, one: it was my decision," Fiyero began, counting off on his fingers. "Two: lazy multi-millionaire, remember? I think I can afford it. And three: you _are_ important." He kissed her wrist. "So let's not have any arguments over this; let's just enjoy our last full day together. Okay?"

Elphaba nodded. "Okay."

"Good."

By now, the coachmen appeared to have cottoned on to what was happening inside the carriage, for when Elphaba and Fiyero alighted in front of an inn that evening, one of the men sent the green girl a cheeky wink, and she was fairly certain she caught the other smirking behind his glove. Blushing, Elphaba grabbed her suitcase and sauntered into the building.

"I suppose this is going to be a repeat of last night?" she muttered to Fiyero, who grinned.

"Are you going to object?"

She didn't.

The next morning saw Elphaba frantically trying to hurry Fiyero up while the latter calmly shaved.

"Come on, Fiyero," the green girl said in exasperation, hopping from foot to foot, "we're going to be late."

"Calm down, Elphaba. They're not going to leave without us, are they? They can wait a few more minutes. Besides, I want to make the most of today. And for that, I intend to look my best." He washed the soap off his face before inspecting himself critically in the mirror.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "You look fine. Now can we just get a move on?"

"Almost done," Fiyero said absently as he fixed his hair.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, let's just _go_!" Elphaba cried, storming into the bathroom, grabbing Fiyero's hand and physically dragging him out.

"It's not like it's much further to Shiz," Fiyero complained good-naturedly. "So who cares if we're a few minutes late? We were two whole days late getting to the Emerald City. Don't you want to spend more time with me?" he added, pretending to be affronted.

Elphaba softened. "Of course I do. And you're right." She kissed Fiyero lightly.

Fiyero grinned. "Now that's more like it."

At last, they were settled in the carriage, Fiyero with his arm around Elphaba and Elphaba with her head leaning on Fiyero's shoulder.

"I'm going to miss this," Elphaba said softly with a sigh.

Fiyero stroked Elphaba's hair gently. "Me, too." He tugged the hairtie from Elphaba's neat braid and tossed it aside, then started to run his fingers lightly through her silky tresses.

"I wish we could stay like this forever." Another sigh.

"Me, too."

Elphaba raised her eyes to meet Fiyero's pensive gaze. "What are you thinking?"

"Just trying to figure out if there's a way we can –"

"Fiyero. We've discussed this."

It was Fiyero's turn to sigh. "Sorry."

Elphaba reach up to gently trace Fiyero's face. "Do you regret it? Any of it?"

Fiyero let out a chuckle. "How can I? You changed me, Elphaba. Everything is so much better now. My life is so much better. I just wish…"

"I know."

"It's bittersweet, you know?"

"I know." Elphaba laid her head back down on Fiyero's shoulder and draped her arm across his waist. "I'm glad, though. I'm glad you don't regret it. Because I have to confess, I don't actually know a memory-erasing spell."

Fiyero laughed. "Good. Because these memories, I want to keep."

As the day wore on, the couple drifted gradually from the peaceful bliss of morning to the intense passion of a restless afternoon.

Finally, one of the coachmen informed them, as per Fiyero's request, when they had reached the last town before Shiz. "We're about ten minutes away," he added.

Fiyero turned to look at Elphaba sadly. "Well, I guess this is it."

"I guess so." Elphaba returned his gaze evenly, subconsciously raising her chin as if trying to defy emotion.

"I've really enjoyed our time together."

"So have I."

Fiyero took Elphaba's hand. "I've said everything I could ever say in that letter. But thankyou."

Elphaba glanced down at their joined hands, before saying quietly, "I don't think I've said _anything_ I want to say." She paused. "You're the first person to ever show any interest in me. To make me feel human. To make me feel like a woman. To make me feel like I'm someone worth knowing. In less than a fortnight with you, I've experienced things I never thought I'd experience in my entire lifetime. Things I couldn't even hope for; things I could only dream about – if I allowed myself to, and if I was prepared to deal with the pain of knowing that could never happen. Not to me. But you…" Her voice broke slightly as she at last allowed her emotions to show. "You changed that. If only for a few days. So thankyou. I know I keep shooting you down every time you say it, but I wish…" She swallowed.

Fiyero smiled at her tenderly and stroked her cheek. "We'll always have the Emerald City."

Elphaba returned his smile. "I know."

"Well, I guess this is it," Fiyero said heavily after a long moment.

They kissed one final time before putting themselves to rights.

Before long, the carriage was drawing up in front of Shiz University. As expected, Nessarose was awaiting Elphaba's arrival with Galinda by her side.

"You survived, then?" Nessarose teased with a grin as her sister hoped out of the carriage and strode over to embrace first Nessarose, then Galinda (at the latter's insistence).

Elphaba cast what she hoped was a convincing scowl over her shoulder at Fiyero. "Just."

"Admit it, Thropp," Fiyero said casually, "you enjoyed spending an entire thirteen days with me."

"In your dreams, Tiggular," Elphaba spat, trying her hardest not to blush.

Nessarose shot Fiyero a disapproving glance. "Egotist."

Fiyero grinned wolfishly at her, making the girl shrink back into her wheelchair in repulsion.

"Come on, Fabala," she said stiffly. "Let's get away from this creep." Nessarose began to wheel herself away, Galinda tottering along at her side.

Elphaba picked up her suitcase and began to stalk off in the direction of the girls' dormitories, but turned back momentarily. "Just bear this in mind: I still hate your guts, Tiggular."

Fiyero flashed her a grin and winked so quickly that nobody but Elphaba could pick it up. "Back at ya, Thropp."

* * *

**Author's Note: Firstly, I think I should apologize. I know everyone wanted Elphaba and Fiyero to get together and stay together back at Shiz, but this is how I originally wanted to write it, and so this is how it stayed. _However_...if you _really_ want...I just may do as NymeriaFae suggested and consider writing a sequel...?  
**

**Secondly, I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, faved and/or followed this story. It really means a lot to me and I certainly wasn't expecting this big a reaction. So thankyou all. xx **

**I'm not yet sure what my next story is going to be, since I have a heap in the works (surprise, surprise), but don't worry, there will be another one up sometime! Unfortunately, what with uni and everything, I don't even know if I'll have anything else up this year; but I hope there will be something no later than the beginning of next year. In the meantime, I do have a bunch of one-shots which are feeling rather unloved at the moment (hint, hint). ;)**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the characters mentioned in this story; they belong in their entirety to L. Frank Baum and Gregory Maguire. The only character I own is Xathu. Please do not steal him, as I am rather fond of him and may use him again in the future. I DO, however, own the story, which is protected in my name under Australian Copyright Law dating back to 2014.**

**Special thanks to vinkunwildflowerqueen for helping me come up with a title; Glitter-Bunnii for helping me come up with Xathu's name; and Ultimate Queen of Cliffies for letting me bounce fluffy ideas off her.**


End file.
